TVC:Book 05:A Ray of Hope
by VoyagersFan
Summary: With a bit of free time on their hands Bogg and Jeff take a break from it all and in the process discover 20th century medicine has taken a step backward and a rare jewel has been stolen. Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas. Revised 09/2009
1. Forward

_**VOYAGERS!**_

**The Voyager Chronicles – Book 5 **

**A RAY OF HOPE**

**By Dennis A. Daugherty**

DISCLAIMER: Voyagers!, and it's associated characters are registered trademarks of Scholastic Productions, James D. Parriott Productions and Universal-MCA Entertainment. This story is written and provided for entertainment purposes ONLY. No copyright infringement is intended by the author.

**FORWARD**

Well fans, here we are again. If you haven't been keeping track of the stories in this series, this one will make number FIVE. It's amazing that once again, after four unique Voyagers! stories, another one has manifested itself. I can't even begin to describe how much fun it was to put Bogg and Jeff through the paces. I have absolutely loved every minute of writing this story, from the outline to the point where I actually began putting it to paper so to speak.

The idea for this storyline came to me about a year ago, long before I penned The True Spirit of Christmas. I had originally planned for this one to be the fourth story in my series. However, when I realized another author had written a story with an almost similar idea, I decided to put this one on hold for a while and write TTSOC. (Sorry Peeper, but I had the idea first. LOL!) When I wrote TTSOC, I wanted to go easy on Bogg and Jeff by setting aside all of the darkness and evil that was brought out in The Crime of All Time for a storyline that was a little bit lighter. This story was no exception. As we all learned from watching the series on TV, not all of history's foul-ups are attributed to the criminal element or to Drake for that matter. Besides, we wouldn't want the mighty duo to burn out from having to deal with truly evil and corrupt foes all the time.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have taken the time to read and review my stories. Without your interest and dedication, this saga would not have made it this far. If you have not already read the previous installments of my Voyager Chronicles series, I highly encourage you to do so prior to reading this story. The sequence of these are as follows:

1 – Discoveries 3 – The Crime of All Time

2 – Tastes of Freedom 4 – The True Spirit of Christmas

One more thing… As each of us continue to lead very hectic and stressful lives, there is nothing quite like a good read to reverse the wear and tear put on our minds and bodies. Reading (and writing for that matter) is good for the soul; it exercises the mind and takes you to places where you have never been before. For me, the ultimate in relaxation is a good story, a fresh cup of coffee, a warm cinnamon roll and a quiet place where I can put my feet up and relax after a hard day's work. I invite you to try out this prescription as you enjoy the ride.

D.A. Daugherty

(VoyagersFan)


	2. The Accident

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 1 – THE ACCIDENT**

It was the beginning of a bright, yet somewhat breezy day in the city of Aspen. The sun, in its fullest splendor had taken up a position high over the mountains in the morning sky. Overnight, mother nature had given her blessing to the land as she had kissed it ever so gently with another layer of new fallen snow. The temperature, now hovering in the mid-twenties did nothing to hamper the plans of those who came to enjoy their favorite pastime...skiing. From the large windows of a nearby lodge, one could observe the beauty of the soft white carpet over the vast expanse, as well as the colorful attire of those who were already out on the slopes.

The two Voyagers, now between missions, had found themselves with some spare time on their hands and virtually nothing to do. Bogg, being the adventurous sort, wanted to try his hand at skiing. Jeff was not enthused by the idea but being a good sport about it, went along, reluctantly. Bogg set the omni and the two zoomed through the time vortex headed for the city of Aspen, the year being 1979. Upon arrival, they checked into a nearby lodge, grabbed their gear and headed for the slopes. After traversing what seemed like miles across the snow-covered ground, the two finally reached the beginner's slope.

"Well, kid, here we are." Bogg said to his partner before taking a deep, cleansing breath. "Ummm…smell that fresh air! There's just nothing like the great outdoors!"

"Brrrrr! I'd say!" Jeff exclaimed as he shook from the cold. "Can't we just as easily enjoy the 'great outdoors' from inside the warm lodge?"

"Hey, a little bit of cold never hurt anyone." Bogg said matter-of-factly. "This…my friend is lumberjack weather. Besides, being out here, makes one feel…hmmm...more manly." He put both his clenched fists to his chest and let out a loud roar."

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRH!!!"

"You wanna feel more manly… then you stay here and absorb all of it you want… I'm going back where it's warm."

Jeff picked up his skis and headed back to the lodge.

"C'mon Jeff. Can't you at least try and have a little fun here?" Bogg pleaded. C'mon. One time for dear ol' dad, ok?"

Jeff feeling a bit guilty, stopped in his tracks. As always, Bogg knew exactly which buttons to push to persuade him to go along with his wishes. This time, however, his words weren't the only tricks Bogg had up his sleeve.

He slowly turned to face his partner. As he made eye contact with him, he noticed Bogg was just standing there with his hands in his pockets looking down at his feet. This stance along with his dejected expression was more than enough to make Jeff feel like a total heel. Unable to withstand the pressure now being exerted on him, he conceded to his partner's wishes.

"Ok…OK! I give!" Jeff exclaimed while stomping back across the snow. "I'll try to have fun. But, if I fall and break my leg, it'll all be your fault."

Bogg raised his head and smiled as Jeff approached.

"What changed your mind, kiddo?", He asked.

"Uhh…let's see…" Jeff said with a pause. "I think it was that pouty, sad and disappointed look you had on your face."

Bogg grinned.

"What are YOU grinning about?" Jeff asked.

"I really had you going there for a moment." Bogg taunted his partner as he began to chuckle. "I can't believe you fell for my 'pouty, sad and disappointed' act. I knew I should have been an actor."

"BOGG!!!!" Jeff exclaimed as he punched him on the arm. "IT WAS ALL AN ACT? You should be ashamed of yourself, doing that to your own partner. Not only that, but your own son as well."

"I got news for you kid. If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it's not gonna work." Bogg said as he put his arm around him. "C'mon, let's get going before the snow melts."

Minutes after putting on their skis, the two Voyagers started down the slope. Jeff, bundled warmly in his official skiing attire was at best, cautiously making progress. Teetering on his skis, his eyes were affixed on his feet and his attention focused on staying upright and in control. His partner, on the other hand, was further up the slope and as always, trying his best to impress the ladies or as he so gallantly called them 'beautiful snow bunnies' with his usual charm, overconfidence and bold showmanship.

"Kid!! This is great! We should have come here sooner!" Bogg shouted to his partner.

Jeff skewered the ground with his poles and looked up at him.

"Yea, terrific! I could get the hang of this…Eventually!"

Suddenly a strong gust of wind came through the area causing Jeff to sway back and forth on his skis. Unable to steady himself, he lost his balance and fell rather ungracefully on his backside in the snow.

Bogg chuckled a bit. "You'll get it, kid. Remember, we're Voyagers! We can't let a little thing like this get the best of us. Hey, you need some help?"

Jeff fidgeted with his somewhat contorted limbs in a valiant effort to upright himself, but the awkwardness of his skis was keeping him from doing so.

"Yea, that would be great. I could definitely use a little help here. That is, if you wouldn't mind focusing on something other than the snow bunnies." Jeff shouted, somewhat aggravated.

Bogg, disappointed by the thought of having to give up the attention being shown to him by the buxom beauties, put his arms around the two and attempted to graciously excuse himself. His only thought at the time was how to pick up where he had left off once he had rescued his partner from his predicament.

"Sorry, ladies. That's my boy in trouble down there." Bogg said softly as he smiled warmly and stroked one of the beauties cheeks. "Being a dad is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week job and unfortunately for me, duty calls!"

One of the snow bunnies, overtaken by Bogg's attitude and unselfish commitment to parenthood, wrapped her arms around him and expressed her feelings in a dreamy sort of way.

"Oh Phineas, you are so brave! I can't imagine a more wonderful, loving father than you. Your son should be ever so proud to call you dad."

"You are truly an angel, Phineas." The other snow bunny replied as she put her head on his shoulder for a moment.

"I am, aren't I." Bogg said with a grin, his mind somewhat in a fog from the effects of lust.

Jeff, still struggling to regain his dignity, put two fingers in his mouth and whistled to get his partner's attention.

"C'mon Bogg, my backside is getting frostbite." Jeff shouted.

Bogg rolled his eyes and turned his attention the ladies once again.

Maybe we can all get together later when the kid's playing with his Lego's or something."

"Sure." The two said in unison as they kissed Bogg on the cheek. While he said goodbye to his new found friends, Jeff was still lying in the snow, shaking his head as he continued to watch the whole scene unfold.

"Oh Bogg!" Jeff shouted with a note of disdain in his voice. "If you could possibly make t here, say… sometime before nightfall, that would be great!"

"I'm coming, kid… Just keep your britches on!"

"No problem, Bogg! They are frozen to my skin now." Jeff quipped.

Jeff continued to struggle against the snow. Bogg took off down the slope making tracks toward him. Before he could arrive, Jeff had thrashed about in the snow until he had finally made it back to his feet. As he scanned the slope in search of his partner, Jeff noticed he was now zooming down the slope, headed straight for him.

"Bogg!" Jeff yelled.

"What?"

"You need to slow down!" Jeff warned. "You're going way too fast!

"I'm not going too fast! You are just being too cautious." Bogg said. "Besides, I have everything under control."

"Yeah right!" Jeff mumbled. "And I'm about to be smashed like a pancake."

With Bogg at present only a few yards away from his partner, Jeff's words began to echo in his mind. He had come to the realization that he was indeed out of control. Flinging his ski-poles behind him, he attempted to reduce his speed by dragging them in the snow. Unfortunately, his actions were too little and too late.

"Bats-Breath! Now where'd they put those brakes?" He mumbled.

Nervous at the prospect of not being in control of his situation, Bogg shouted impatiently. "Kid! How do I stop these things?"

"Point your toes inward!" Jeff exclaimed! "No, on second thought… Point your skis to your left!"

"Right!" Bogg agreed.

Jeff yelled at his partner impatiently. "No Bogg!…Left!…Point your skis left!"

"Ok, got it!"

In the nick of time, Bogg veered off away from his partner leaving a cloud of snow in his wake. As Bogg passed by, Jeff put out his arms and leaped back onto the ground to escape the collision. Wet, cold and covered in snow, Jeff again quickly struggled to his feet. Balancing himself on his skis, he watched as his partner continued to zip down the slope out of control.

"Bogg!!!" Jeff shouted. "Bogg!!!"

Bogg heard Jeff's cries and looked back over his shoulder at him."

"What now kid? Can't you see I'm having a small problem here?" He bellowed. "How do I stop these things?"

Jeff rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit. "You're having a problem? You're not kidding you're having a problem." He said to himself.

By this time, Bogg's situation had gotten the attention of several other skiers who were currently out on the slope. Several women to scream and stumble over their skis in an attempt to get to safety.

Jeff put his hands at the sides of his mouth and began to shout at his partner once more.

"Point your toes together and slow down before you get hurt!"

Bogg again looked back over his shoulder at this partner.

"What did you say, kid?"

"I said…point your toes together and slow down before you get…"

Distracted by his partner's instructions, Bogg swerved off course. Unaware of his current position, he was now headed toward the woods and well on his way to a rather unpleasant rendezvous with a very large tree.

Jeff, unable to save his partner from his fate, covered his eyes and shouted to him. "Bogg!!! Watch out for that…"

"AYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE!" Bogg screamed out as he put his hands in front of him to cushion his collision.

The sounds of wood splitting and pine cones falling to the ground could be heard upon impact. For a moment, there was silence, which was then followed by loud moaning emanating from beneath the brush.

"Tree!" Jeff finished.

The young Voyager unfastened his skis and took off running down the slope to the scene of the accident. After pushing aside some brush, he found Bogg upside down against the tree, with legs, arms and skis pointing in every direction. At first glance, it reminded him of some of the modern sculpture the two had seen in museums they had visited.

Jeff ran over and kneeled at his partner's side.

"Bogg!! Bogg!! Are you ok?" Jeff screamed impatiently as he shook his partner. "Bogg, speak to me…Bogg!"

"Uhh, ooooohhhh!" Bogg replied dazedly, still shook up from the collision. "Oh my head…and my tuba!"

"Are you ok? " Jeff asked impatiently.

Bogg reached up and patted Jeff on the shoulder. "Yeaaaaah, I'm ok, I guess." He replied sluggishly. "But my tu…ba… that's…a different…story."

Upon standing, Jeff stepped back and stroked his chin as he cast an eye over the scene. He smiled and then chuckled a bit.

"What's… the verdict… kid?" Bogg asked.

"Well, from the looks of it, you now have a wedgie that only a crowbar will be able to remove."

Even in his current predicament, Bogg could not let an opportunity to tease his partner pass him by. He donned a rather puzzled expression and slowly turned his head toward his partner.

"What….What's…a wedgie?" Bogg asked innocently. "That… sounds…serious!"

Jeff, attempting to hold back a smile, replied. "Well, Bogg, it can be."

"Kid, if it's that bad… maybe you… you should run and find… one of those crowbars…and help me remove it. You know… before I get gangrene… or lose a limb …or some other terrible thing."

Jeff's eyes grew large. He smiled, looked down at the ground and then shook his head.

"Bogg…ole man..." Jeff said as he squatted down and put a hand on his shoulder. "We've been together now, for what, some 3 years?"

"Yea kid… it's been… quite a while."

"And during that time, I've helped you with many things and I might add, without question or regard to my health and safety." Jeff continued.

"Yes, kid, that's what… I like about you. You will go to any length… to help me out of a jam." Bogg replied woozily, trying his best to keep from laughing.

"I really hate to say this, especially, in light of the predicament you are now in." Jeff said, as he too was trying to contain himself.

"That's ok, kid." Bogg reassured. "You can be open with me… I won't get mad. Now, what is it… you want to tell me?"

"Well, Bogg…dad… it's like this… As far as your wedgie is concerned, you're on your own with that one!"

The two looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out in laughter.

"Gotcha!...owwwwww!" Bogg shouted as he grimaced from the pain he was now in. He slowly licked two fingers and waived them in the air. "Well, kid, I'd say that makes two… I can't believe… you fell for that one."

"Yea, I know." Jeff acknowledged. "For a moment, I didn't know what I was going to say."

"Ok, we've had our brief bit of fun, so how 'bout lending me a hand here." Bogg suggested. "Besides, this is so undignified."

"Sure… as long as it's not with your 'briefs'", Jeff said as he laughed. "First, though, we need to get these skis off of you."

Jeff removed Bogg's skis and attempted to free his partner from the tree and the brush he was entangled in. As he worked diligently to do so, two skiers came upon them and offered their assistance.

"Hey, guy! Are you ok?" The first skier asked.

"Kid, looks as if you may need some assistance there, especially since he's a pretty big man." The second skier said.

The two removed their skis, put down their poles and ran over to help Jeff.

After a few minutes, they had cleared away the debris surrounding Bogg and he was now sitting upright on the ground in front of them.

"Sir, are you ok?" The second skier asked.

"Yes, thank you for your help. " Bogg replied as he rubbed his throbbing head.

"Here, let me take a look at that forehead." The first skier got down on his knees and began to examine the now protruding bump on the Voyager's forehead.

"Ouch!" Bogg exclaimed. "That's tender!"

"Sorry about that. I'd say from the looks of it, you kissed that tree pretty hard. We probably need to get you to the hospital. You know you could have a concussion and there's no need to take any chances."

"A concussion!!" Jeff exclaimed, his eyes now big as saucers.

The second skier kneeled in front of Jeff and began to reassure him.

"Son, your dad's gonna be just fine. He just needs to get checked out at the hospital. You know, as a precaution."

"Are you able to walk?" The first skier asked.

"I think so." Bogg replied.

The first skier reached down and lifted Bogg to his feet. At that moment, Bogg's left leg buckled under his weight.

"Owwwwwww!", Bogg exclaimed as he winced in pain.

"Whoa there buddy." The second skier shouted as he reached over and prevented Bogg's fall. "I'd say that leg of yours needs to be looked at as well. C'mon guys, we'll load you up in the Cherokee and take you to the hospital."

With Bogg being supported by both men, they, along with Jeff set off on their trek back to the lodge.

"Thank you gentlemen for your help.", Bogg said. "I don't know what Jeff and I would have done if you hadn't come along. "

"Don't worry about it. We've had our fair share of mishaps on these slopes. Isn't that right, Steve?"

"You said it, Mike!"

"I guess we should introduce ourselves." Mike said wryly.

"The name's Mike and this is my buddy Steve."

"Nice to meet you both and even more so in this situation." Bogg replied. "My name's Bogg…Phineas Bogg and this is my son, Jeff. As you probably have guessed by now, this is our first attempt at these slopes. Hopefully it won't be our last. Isn't that right, kid?"

"No way, Bogg!!" Jeff exclaimed.

In a matter of minutes, the four made their way back to the lodge where Mike and Steve's Jeep Cherokee was parked. Mike opened the rear door and the three slowly assisted the injured Bogg inside. Once they had shut the door, Mike and Jeff had barely made it in the vehicle before Steve zoomed out of the parking lot.


	3. A Trip To Helga's Place

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 2 – A TRIP TO HELGA'S PLACE**

Minutes later, the makeshift ambulance arrived at the local hospital. Mike and Steve, with Jeff at their side, unloaded their patient and carried him through the emergency room entrance. Inside they were met by a couple of orderlies who placed Bogg on a stretcher and wheeled him through the emergency room door. Mike, Steve and Jeff were then met by a nurse who escorted them over to a small cubicle where she began the registration process.

"Which of you is related to the patient?" The nurse asked as she pointed her pen at them.

"This little guy here is the patient's son. The two of us were just lending a hand to a fellow skier in need." Mike explained.

"What's the patient's name?"

"Phineas Bogg" Jeff replied.

"Is 'Bogg' spelled with one 'G' or two?" She asked.

"Two, ma'am."

"What's his date of birth?"

"Ummm….umm….I can't remember… It's sometime in November, I think."

"That's ok, son, we'll get that later." She reassured. "What about his address?"

"I just knew you were going to ask that." Jeff muttered.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Uhh…ummm, we don't really have a permanent address. We are travelers." Jeff replied with some apprehension.

The nurse continued to quiz Jeff about Bogg's vital statistics. After a somewhat lengthy question and answer session, the nurse finished up her paperwork and rose from her chair.

"Jeff, if you and your friends will have a seat in the waiting area, I'll take this information to the Doctor and check on your dad."

"When can I see him?" Jeff asked.

"Soon, very soon." She reassured. "But first the doctor has to examine and treat his injuries."

Mike walked over and put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "C'mon Jeff. There's nothing more we can do here. Let's go take a load off until they finish patching up your dad. The nurse will come get us when they are done. Ok?"

"Ok, I guess you are right." Jeff relented.

"C'mon Steve, I think this kid needs some cheering up right now."

"You said it!"

The three walked a few steps over to waiting room door and went inside. Mike and Steve plopped down onto the sofa as Jeff walked over to the window and peered outside.

"C'mon over and take a load off, Jeff. It could be a while." Steve urged.

"I'm ok. Really!" Jeff said unconvincingly.

"Suit yourself. But this sofa is really, really comfortable." Mike teased.

Suddenly, Mike turned to Steve and punched him on the arm.

"Hey, look over there, it's a coke machine. You got any change on you bud?"

Steve dug around in his pockets and emptied their contents on a small table.

"How much are they, Mike?"

"Fifty-five cents."

"Well, well, looks like there's enough here to treat all of us." Steve said as he picked up the change and headed over to the machine. "Pick your poison."

"Uhh…I'll take a Coke." Mike replied.

"Jeff? What about you. Want something to drink? I'm buyin'!"

Jeff, still worried about his partner, turned his attention away from the window and looked at Steve.

"Well…I guess…I'll have a Coke also."

"Three cokes coming right up." Steve said as he chuckled a bit and began inserting coins into the machine. "I'd say when it comes to colas, we all have very good taste."

Once the last can had dropped, Steve picked up the three Cokes and walked over to the window where, by this time Jeff had virtually taken up residence.

"Here you go, Jeff. One ice-cold Coke with free delivery." Steve said with a chuckle.

Jeff continued to stare out the window, oblivious to what was going on around him.

Steve put his hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Jeff! Hey Jeff, are you ok buddy?"

Startled by the touch, Jeff almost jumped out of his skin.

"Uhhhhhhh!" Jeff exclaimed as he gasped for air.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to scare you like that." Steve said apologetically. "Here's your Coke."

Jeff took the cola from him, slowly popped open the top and took a sip. He said not another word and turned his attention back to the window.

Steve walked over and sat down on the sofa next to Mike.

"I'd say Jeff is not handling this too well, don't you think?" Mike whispered to his buddy.

"No. From the looks of it he's definitely worried. I wonder what's taking the doc so long. It's been quite a while now since we brought him in."

"You know he got a pretty good bump on the noggin." Mike said. "They're probably checking to see whether or not he has a concussion. And don't forget about that leg. Remember, it buckled under when he put his weight on it."

"I remember." Steve whispered. "I don't think I've ever seen an accident like that before. It's a wonder he wasn't seriously injured or even killed."

"He was just lucky." Mike continued. "But let's not dwell on that. I'm no doctor, but I'd say his injuries are not life-threatening. The only thing we can do now is wait and be here for the kid."

"I guess you're right."

--------------------------------------

Inside the ER, the two orderlies had wheeled the battered and bruised Bogg to a treatment area and pulled a cubicle curtain around him. As he lay there, patiently waiting his turn to be treated, the throbbing pain in his head increased. He slowly raised his hand to his forehead and moaned a bit as he began to rub what was now a fairly large, protruding lump. Even though he was injured and in pain, his only concern at the time was the safety and well-being of his partner, since he was now being cared for by two total strangers. Overtaken and exhausted by worry and the pain of his injuries, he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes for a moment.

Out of nowhere, a beautiful young nurse dressed in colorful scrubs pulled back the curtain and walked over to his side. She opened the drawer of a nearby supply cart and began to rummage through its contents. Bogg, awakened by the noise, opened his eyes and turned his head to get a look. At first glance, he was so stunned by her glowing beauty that his mouth dropped to his chest. After developing a severe case of lust, he attempted to start a conversation with her, but his mouth and brain would not cooperate.

"Uhhh…Hi…umm…Hi there!" Bogg said woozily. "Have you come to patch me up?"

The nurse closed the drawer and turned her attention to the now love-sick patient.

"Oh…sir…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"That's no problem." Bogg replied as he attempted a huge smile. "Are you here to patch me up?"

She stepped closer to the weary Voyager and picked up his hand as she stroked his forehead.

"I'd love to come and take care of your wounds, but, I have another patient to look after. For now, honey, you just lie still and be quiet. Your nurse will be around to take care of you shortly."

"But I don't want another, nurse, I want you!" Bogg pleaded. "You are so beautiful and so kind. I'm sure you're a whiz at taking care of wounds. C'mon, can't you see I'm dying here. Grant a poor man his one last request before he passes on to that great abode in the sky."

Curious as to Bogg's current condition, she reached over and grabbed Bogg's chart from a holder on the wall. Slowly, she flipped through its pages reading the details of his injuries. Upon satisfying her curiosity, she smiled, shook her head a bit and then returned the chart back to proper place. She cupped his head in her hand, leaned over and began to whisper to the smitten Voyager.

"Mr. Bogg." She said softly. "I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?"

Bogg reached over and held her hand as he looked at her with his piercing blue eyes. "Give me the bad news first…I'm strong! I can take it!" He said bravely.

"Well, in light of your injuries, you only…" She said before Bogg interrupted.

"Oh no!!! " Bogg exclaimed as he threw his hand over his forehead. "Let me guess, I only have a few hours left!"

"No, Mr. Bogg! On the contrary." She said with a smile. "You'll only be here for a little while and you'll live to a ripe-old age. Now, quiet down and rest."

The nurse removed her hand from his and turned to make a hasty exit.

"But! But!" Bogg interjected. "What's the good news?"

Before she exited through the curtain, she paused for a moment, looked back at the drooling Bogg and responded to his question.

"The good news is the doctor will be with you shortly." She quipped as she walked outside.

Disappointed by his failed attempt at attracting this beauty, Bogg breathed an unhappy sigh and again closed his eyes.

A few minutes passed. Outside the treatment area a rather large figure cast its distorted shadow against the white opaque cubicle curtains. Suddenly, the curtains were retracted and a tall, rotund man dressed in a white coat came into the area.

"Mr. Bogg? Mr. Bogg?"

Bogg slowly opened his eyes.

"Yes, I'm Bogg…Who…"

"Mr. Bogg, I'm Doctor Rogers. I understand you had a small mishap on the slopes a little while ago."

"You could say that." Bogg replied sheepishly.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

As Bogg told his story, Dr. Rogers began to examine him. He pulled his penlight from the pocket of his white coat and began to shine it in each of Bogg's eyes.

"Well, my son and I were out on the beginner's slope when all of a sudden, I started speeding down the hill."

"Did you try to stop yourself?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I tried, but before I knew it, I had a run-in with a rather large tree. The tree won, of course."

Dr Rogers laughed. "Well young man, I can't say I haven't seen this before. There have been quite a few run-ins with trees on the slopes here lately. If I were keeping score, I'd say its trees ten…skiers zero."

Dr. Rogers began to probe the fairly large lump protruding from Bogg's forehead.

"Owwww! That hurts!" Bogg exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that. Looks like you have a good bump on the noggin' there. How's your eyesight?"

"I can see fine." Bogg replied.

Dr. Rogers held up three fingers in front of his patient. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Eight."

"Alright now, seriously, how many fingers?" The doctor asked again.

"Ok…there are three."

The doctor continued his examination by taking out his stethoscope and listening to his Bogg's heart. After this, he pressed on several areas of his abdomen with both of his hands. With nothing conclusive found, he proceeded to visually examine his limbs.

"Hmmm… Looks like you've did a mischief on that ankle." He said as he began to slowly palpate the area. "Bear with me, this may hurt a little.

"YEEEEOWWWWW!" Bogg moaned. "A little? That hurt a lot!"

"Relax…Just a bit more and I'll be done." The doctor reassured.

"Owwww!" Bogg again exclaimed as he winced in pain.

"Well, Mr. Bogg, I'd say you're really lucky."

"How so?"

"From the looks of it there's nothing broken, which is good."

"But?" Bogg asked.

"But you have definitely sprained it."

"Other than a few lacerations, contusions, the bump on your noggin' and that sprained ankle, you are very lucky you got out of this one in one piece."

"When will I be able to leave?"

"What's wrong?" The doctor asked. "You don't like my bedside manner?"

"No, it's not that." Bogg replied innocently.

"Ok, if it's not my bedside manner, then it must be my breath."

Bogg looked up at the doctor and chuckled a bit.

"No, it's not that either."

"Well then, what's the problem?" The doctor asked once again. "I'm obviously not Dr. Frankenstein, so why do you want to flee so quickly."

Bogg lowered his eyes. "I just want to be with my kid." He replied sullenly.

Dr. Rogers reached over and put his hand on his patient's shoulder. "Please forgive me Mr. Bogg. I was just having a little bit of fun with you. You know, I totally understand where you are coming from. I too have a son and what I wouldn't give to be home with him at this moment."

"How old is your son?" Bogg asked.

"Three." He replied. "He's just a little tyke, but he's growing like a weed. What about your son?"

"He's thirteen, going on 30." Bogg said as he grinned. "He is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Even though he gets under my skin sometimes and I just want to clobber him, I can't help but love him."

"I know what you mean. Mr. Bogg. I have two other children, both daughters and believe me, they are quite a handful. Just be thankful you have only the one son."

At this point, Dr. Rogers turned and walked slowly toward the curtain. "You lie there and rest a spell. I'll get the nurse and she can patch you up so you two can be on your way."

"Thank you doctor."

The doctor left the area and asked one of his nurses to attend to Bogg's wounds.

As he waited patiently on the gurney for treatment, Bogg began to envision the beautiful nurse he saw earlier coming to his side and nursing him and his wounds back to health.

_As Bogg stared at the treatment area curtains, now bored out of his mind, a beautifully manicured hand reached around the curtain and slowly and provocatively opened it. _

_You hoo! Mr. Bogg. _

_My name is Krissy." The nurse replied in a sensual tone._

"_The Doc told me you had a little boo-boo and needed someone to come by and make it all better" Nurse Krissy said as she strutted over to Bogg's side in her white mini-skirt. _

_Bogg's heart began to flutter as he gazed upon her cleavage which was accentuated by her low cut, starched white uniform._

"_Why…uh…umm…Yes," Bogg stuttered as he attempted to respond in his macho voice. "I have quite a few boo-boos for you to look at."_

"_Show me, you handsome devil you!" Nurse Krissy continued._

"_Uhh…umm, I have one here." Bogg said as he pointed to the bump on his noggin._

"_Ahhhh, you poor thing." Nurse Krissy said feeling sorry for her patient. "Here, let me kiss it and make it ALL better."_

_She slowly leaned over and pressed her lips against Bogg's forehead._

"_Don't forget about this one here." Bogg said as he pointed to his cheek."_

"_Oh my, Mr. Bogg, you do have quite a few boo-boos, don't you?" Nurse Krissy replied._

_Bogg looked up and gazed deeply into Nurse Krissy's beautiful eyes as she leaned over and kissed his cheek._

As Bogg's fantasy of his upcoming rendezvous played out in his mind, without warning, the curtains of the treatment area were thrust open and a tall, muscular woman in her mid-fifties appeared in front of him. She was built like a lumberjack and wore a white nurse's uniform, with her grayish locks tightly pinned in a bun.

"Mis-ter Bogg!!" She shouted with a thick accent. "I am nurse Hel-ga."

Startled by Helga's bold entrance, Bogg immediately returned to reality and in addition almost jumped out of his skin.

"I no want to startle you." She said as she waived her finger in the air. "I am har to cleen up zee wouns."

Totally stunned at the sight of Helga, Bogg rolled his eyes and sunk deeper into his pillow. Unlike Nurse Krissy who was warm and gentle, Helga was quite the opposite. His biggest fear at the moment was the thought of Nurse Helga putting him in a headlock with her huge biceps.

"You will please remove zee shirt." She demanded.

"What?" Bogg replied.

"Zee shirt! Off!" Helga commanded with the precision of a four-star general.

Bogg quickly sat up, removed his shirt and flung it over the railing.

"We will now cleen zee wouns." Helga barked as she opened the drawer of a nearby cabinet and started gathering the needed supplies.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing with zee wouns." Bogg mumbled.

"Vhat did zhew say?" Helga asked.

"Uh…umm…nothing!" Bogg replied. "Nothing at all."

The silence in the waiting room was increasing exponentially. The clock on the wall continued to tick away the minutes and as it did so, it had again come full-circle. Mike and Steve were fast asleep on the sofa, the result of an apparent sugar high after consuming two colas and four candy bars. During this time, there had been no visible signs of activity from anyone inside the emergency room. Jeff had become so anxious about his partner's condition at this point; he had all but relinquished his claim on the window and was briskly pacing the floor.

Steve awakened from his little nap and noticed Jeff's attempt to cut a path into the floor.

"Hey, Jeff!" He said sleepily. "Any news?"

"No. Nothing yet, but that's about to change." Jeff replied.

"What?"

Frustrated from the long wait, Jeff began to explain. "I'm tired all of this waiting. I'm gonna find someone who can tell me what's going on." He barked.

Jeff swiftly bolted through the door of the waiting room and ran toward the emergency room door.

"Wait, Jeff! I'm coming with you!" Steve exclaimed as he reached over and shook Mike. "Hey Mike! Wake up!"

"Huh, what? What's going on here?" Mike said sleepily. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

"Mike, wake your butt up and come on. Jeff has gone to find out the status of his dad." Steve shouted impatiently.

"I'm coming…"

As Jeff approached the door to the emergency room, it suddenly swung open and a tall, grey haired man dressed in a white coat stepped outside. Jeff, in all his haste, almost knocked him to the ground.

"Whoa there son!" The doctor said as he put out his hand to stop the young lad.

"Are you the doctor whose treating my dad?" Jeff asked.

"Yes…I'm Doctor Rogers." He replied. "I take it you must be Jeff, Mr. Bogg's son."

"Correct." Jeff replied.

The doctor reached out and shook Jeff's hand. "Nice to meet you son. Now, tell me what's going on here. You act as if you are running to a fire."

"How is he doctor? When can I see him?"

"Soon, son. But first, I need to talk to you about that."

Seconds later, Steve and Mike caught up with the young boy. Out of breath, they stopped at the ER door where Dr. Rogers and Jeff were standing.

"May I help you gentlemen?" The doctor asked.

"We're here with Jeff." Mike replied.

"Oh, so you are the two who rescued Mr. Bogg and brought him here."

"Yes sir." Steve acknowledged.

"Well, gentlemen, you did a fine job and Mr. Bogg and his son should be very thankful you two were there to help." He complimented. "Let's go to the waiting room and I'll explain the state of Mr. Bogg's condition."

Dr. Rogers and the three walked back to the waiting room and quickly took a seat on the sofa.

"Gentlemen, it's like this. Your friend Mr. Bogg is going to be just fine. He has several small lacerations and contusions along with a fairly good sized bump on his head. Because of this, he'll have a mild headache for a few days.

Jeff breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"But that's not all. During my examination, I discovered he has a sprained ankle as well. There's a small amount of swelling in the area but from the feel of things, there are no broken bones."

"So you didn't find anything on the x-rays?" Jeff asked curiously.

Dr. Rogers sat there silent for a moment, with a perplexed look on his face.

"X-rays? What are those?" Dr. Rogers asked innocently.

"You know, an X-ray." Jeff replied with an intense tone in his voice. "You know, they wheel you into a room, put you on a table and take a picture of your bones."

Dr. Rogers stroked his chin and smiled a bit as he winked at Mike.

Steve slid over and put his arm on Jeff's shoulder. "Jeff, I think you've been watching way too many Star Trek episodes."

"No x-rays? This is definitely a problem." Jeff mumbled to himself.

"What was that son?" The doctor asked.

"Oh, when can we see him?" Jeff asked impatiently.

"Right now if you like. The nurse should be about done cleaning up his wounds. If you will come this way, I'll take you to him."

Jeff, Mike and Steve followed the doctor through the ER doors as he escorted them to the treatment area Bogg now occupied. The doctor stopped for a moment and stuck his head through the curtains.

"Nurse, Mr. Bogg's son is here to see him."

"Yes, Dr. Rogers. I'm finishing up wit zee wouns, but he can come."

The doctor pushed back the curtains of the treatment area, revealing the bruised and battered Voyager lying on a gurney.

"Bogg!" Jeff cried out.

Bogg held out his opened arms. "Come here, kiddo."

Jeff ran over and put his arms around his partner.

Bogg winced in pain from Jeff's grip. "Please, kid, watch the grip, I'm still quite sore you know."

"Oh, sorry Bogg." Jeff said as he released his hug on him. "I'm just so glad to see you."

"The feeling's mutual." Bogg said as he winked at him.

"How do you feel, Phineas?" Mike asked.

"Bogg, these are the two skiers who helped rescue you, remember?" Jeff said.

"Oh, yeah, I remember now. Mike and Steve." Bogg said as he shook each of their hands.

"Thank you very much for all you have done. If it hadn't been for the two of you, I'd still be hugging that tree." Bogg said with a smile. "And don't get me wrong, I like trees, but I don't want to be that up close and personal with one."

The room burst into laughter.

Jeff regained his composure for a moment and chimed in. "Well, I know he's gonna be ok, he has his sense of humor back."

"And what a sense of humor he has." Steve said wryly. "Are you sure you are not a comedian?"

"Nope, I'm not a comedian. I'm just a plain ole guy who likes to work hard and play hard." Bogg replied.

"I would have never guessed." Mike said as he nodded his head. "Especially after that spill you just took."

"Come here kid." Bogg said as he motioned for Jeff to come to his side.

Jeff again stepped over to his partner.

"Thank you, kiddo, for your help as well. You were calm and showed great courage when you arrived to help me. I'm very proud of you."

Jeff's cheeks gradually flushed with color.

"Doctor Rogers?" Jeff asked.

"What son."

"When can he go home."

"Well, the nurse has his wounds all taken care of. I'd say he can leave right now if he's ready."

Bogg reached out and shook Dr. Rogers' hand. "Thank you Doctor, for all you've done. I guess I'm ready to go."

"You guess? Is something wrong?" The doctor asked curiously.

Bogg winked at the Doctor and then replied. "Well, you see there's this little nurse that came in here a while ago and I…"

"Bogg!" Jeff interrupted.

"Ok…OK…I get the message. I'm ready to go."

"You better be…" Jeff threatened.

Bogg slowly got down off the gurney and balanced himself on his feet.

"Ok, Mr. Bogg. You'll need to take it easy for a few days and please don't do any more skiing for a while. "

"Sure Doc."

"And another thing…you can walk on that ankle, but take it slow and easy. If it starts giving you trouble, or the swelling increases, stay off it for a while, elevate it and ice it down. I'd say it should be back to normal in about a week or two."

"Thank you Doc." Bogg said. "C'mon kid, it's time to go home."

Bogg, Jeff and the two skiers walked out to the Jeep. Mike and Steve got in the front, while Bogg and Jeff climbed into the back. Steve started the vehicle and pulled away from the building.

During their short journey back to the lodge, Mike began to quiz the two about their stay.

"Phineas, I take it you two are on vacation. How long will you be staying?

"Oh, several…" Bogg said before Jeff elbowed him in the side.

"Owwww!!! Whatcha have to go and do that for?" He whispered.

"Listen…we have a problem. A really BIG problem!" Jeff replied.

"What! I didn't catch that." Mike said.

"Oh, Jeff was just reminding me of something we have to do when we get back."

At this point, Steve chimed in. "I'm sorry, Phineas. Please excuse Mike, sometimes he just can't help but be nosey."

"Nosey? Who do you think you're calling nosey?" Mike exclaimed.

"You!" Steve quipped as he pointed his finger at him and smiled. "Don't deny it Mike! You know it's the truth. That nose of yours is always stuck in someone else's business."

Jeff looked at Bogg and whispered. "Are you sure these two are not married?"

"Sure sounds like it, with the way they are going at it." Bogg replied.

"I can't believe you said that." Mike said in disbelief.

Bogg cleared his throat. "Please guys, there's no need to end a friendship over such a trivial matter."

Steve looked at Mike for a moment before the two burst into laughter.

Bogg and Jeff, puzzled by the actions of their two friends, looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Did we miss something, kid?" Bogg asked his partner.

Jeff shugged his shoulders. "We must have, Bogg. This makes no sense."

Mike and Steve stopped laughing and started to explain.

"Bogg, Jeff, please excuse us." Mike said as he chuckled a bit. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to give you the impression we were on the verge of a knock-down, drag-out fight. This is just the way we are."

Steve chimed in. "Yea guys. We argue about stuff all the time. It's like a game to us and we both get a kick out of it. We're always trying to start some kind of stupid argument and see who can win it."

"Oh…umm…ok...If you say so." Bogg said.

"Phineas, it's all good." Mike reassured. "Hey, I just thought if you are staying a while, maybe the four of us could hang out together and have some fun. You know, take in the sights, or a show or something.

"Thanks for the offer guys. It sounds like great fun, but, unfortunately, the kid and I have to leave tomorrow."

"That's too bad. But what about tonight?", Steve asked. "Maybe we can grab some dinner and take in a movie."

"Dinner sounds great. But we'll have to pass on the movie." Bogg said. "We'll need to get to bed early, since…"

Jeff interrupted. "We have to catch an early flight out tomorrow morning."

"Right kid!" Bogg acknowledged as he winked at Jeff.

Minutes later, the four arrived back at the lodge. They exited the Jeep and hiked through the deep snow to the front entrance. Once inside, Mike and Steve stopped and turned their attention to their new friends.

"Why don't we all go upstairs, change out of these wet clothes and meet back here for dinner…say in 30 minutes or so? You know they have a great little restaurant here. It's good, old-fashioned home cooking at its best. "Steve bragged.

"Sounds great!" Bogg affirmed.

As Mike and Steve walked toward the elevator, Bogg led his partner over to a nearby sofa and the two sat down.

"Ok, kid. What's it all about?" Bogg asked curiously.

Jeff reached over and slipped his partner's omni off his belt and opened it. Not surprisingly, there was a red light.

"Look, Bogg. " Jeff said as he held the omni in front of him. "You see…we've got a problem!"

"A red light?" Bogg said, somewhat bewildered. "That wasn't there this morning when we arrived."

"Well, it's there now and I have an idea what's wrong." Jeff replied.

"So… spill it."

"X-Rays!" Jeff uttered.

"What?"

"X-Rays! That's the problem here."

"You mean those unusual black and white pictures they take of your innards when you are sick?" Bogg asked innocently.

"Right…first time!" Jeff replied. "While you were in the ER, Dr. Rogers came out and explained your condition to us. He said, from what he discovered in the examination, you had a sprained ankle."

"He was definitely right there. 'Cause I have the pain to confirm it." Bogg said with a smile. "But that still doesn't explain the…"

Jeff interrupted impatiently. "Bogg, please, let me finish… I asked the Doctor if he saw anything on your X-rays. He then acted as if he had never heard of an X-ray. On top of that, Mike and Steve had never heard of them either. They thought I'd been watching too many Star Trek episodes.

"Star Trek? What's that kid?"

"Nevermind about Star Trek, Bogg! We've stumbled onto a really big problem here. If it wasn't for the invention of the X-ray, medicine would still be in the dark ages. You know, back in the times when the only way to diagnose a problem was to cut the patient open and the only way to cure them was to cut off the problem part."

"I remember those times… all too well." Bogg reminisced. "I've been treated with my fair share of leeches, obnoxious potions and poltices. I'll tell you this. I was never fond of those witch doctors though. Dancing around, waiving old dried up bones in the air and shaking gourds is not my idea of treatment nor a cure."

"Yea." Jeff replied. "And if we don't figure out what happened to the x-ray, you may have to see another witch doctor sometime in the future."

"So where do we start, kid?" Bogg asked.

"Hmmmm… Let me think." Jeff said as he rubbed his chin. "I got it. There were two people who were directly involved in the discovery of x-rays and radiation. The first was Roentgen, who initially studied radioactive properties in some metals as well as discovered the x-ray. The second was Madame Curie, who along with her husband, discovered radium and studied its properties. She also was responsible for outfitting World War I ambulances with portable x-ray units."

"Wow, kid! Not only are you a walking history book, but a scientist as well." Bogg said as he shook his head in amazement. "Impressive, Jeff. I'm gonna have to start calling you Einstein."

Jeff bowed his head, a little bit embarrassed. "Bogg, I'm no Einstein, I just paid attention in my science classes.

Bogg put his arm around his son and gave him a good squeeze. "Kid you have nothing to be ashamed of." He reassured. "You have a good head on your shoulders and that's something to be extremely proud of. Don't ever forget it."

"Besides…" Bogg thumped Jeff on the head and chuckled. "What would I do, if that melon of yours was hollow inside?"

"Owwww Bogg!!!!" Jeff exclaimed.

"C'mon kid, let's get changed and get some dinner."

The next morning, the two Voyagers awakened to yet another beautiful day in the city of Aspen. After washing up and getting some breakfast, they went back to their room to prepare for their next excursion.

"That was some breakfast." Jeff said as he rubbed his tummy. "I'm stuffed."

"Me too, kid. It's been a while since I've been invited to a spread like that." Bogg acknowledged. "Kinda reminds me of those feasts ol' Henry the Eighth used to throw."

Jeff gasped. "Bogg? You knew Henry the Eighth?"

"Knew him… Kid, I used to play chess with him." Bogg boasted. "I had to quit, though."

Jeff's eyes grew big. "Why? What happened?"

"Well, he was always a sore loser. Every time I would win a game, he would summon his guards to take me to the dungeon. Of course he would leave me there overnight to think about what I had done. After a while, with all those people around him losing their heads, I began to get a bit nervous at the prospect of losing my own. I decided for my own health and well-being to avoid playing the game with him. I definitely wanted to keep my head attached to my shoulders."

Jeff had taken a captive interest in his partner's yarn and after the last bit was now showing some skepticism.

"C'mon Bogg! You're kidding, right!" He said.

"Kid, it's the truth!" Bogg exclaimed. "If you don't believe me, we can take a quick trip back and you can hear the truth from the good King's lips, if you'd like."

Quickly, Jeff changed his view on Bogg's friendship with the bloody king. He stumbled nervously on his words as he attempted a reply.

"Oh…no! I think I'll pass on that trip."

"Suit yourself." Bogg said as he turned and picked up his omni from the bedside table in an attempt to hide his laughter.

"Now, where do we need to go to fix this x-ray problem?"

"I've always wanted to meet the famous Madame Curie. Why don't we go there first?" Jeff suggested.

"I can't believe you would pass up a chance to meet Henry the Eighth, to see Madame Curie instead." Bogg teased while attempting to hold back a chuckle.

"You said it. Now let's go!" Jeff said as he walked over and grabbed his partner's arm.

Jeff closed his eyes as he always did before entering the time vortex. For a moment, he stood there, anxiously awaiting their departure. Eventually, the silence was broken with the sound of Bogg clearing his throat. Jeff opened his eyes and looked up at his him.

"Ok, why haven't you pushed the button?" Jeff asked, a little bit miffed.

"Well, haven't you forgotten something kid?"

"Uh… I haven't forgotten anything. I have everything I came here with."

"Well, a date and place would be nice, kiddo." Bogg said as he rolled his eyes. "Especially since you're the walking history book."

"Oops, sorry 'bout that Bogg. The place is Paris, France, late July 1914."

Bogg opened his omni and set the controls.

"Ready…"

"Yea, I'm ready…"

Bogg pushed the button and they vanished.


	4. A Thief In the Night

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 3 – A THIEF IN THE NIGHT **

Darkness had fallen across the city. The moon, in all its splendor, struggled against a patchwork of grayish clouds to spread its light across the land. The slightest whisper of a breeze, damp and crisp, had begun to coax a layer of dense fog from the waters of the Thames. For the most part, the city was quiet and unoccupied, the only exception being those unfortunate souls who wandered the streets looking for a place to rest as well as a speck of leftover food to eat. In the distance, the lone sound of Big Ben could be heard as it struck the ninth hour.

Bogg and Jeff, unaware their shiny new omni had malfunctioned, came to an exceptionally hard landing in the middle of a dark thoroughfare. After a few moments of shaking off the effects of their journey's abrupt ending, they quickly got to their feet and started to have a look around.

"Where are we?" Jeff asked. "This sure doesn't look like Paris to me."

Bogg grabbed his omni and opened it. As he gazed at its flashing red beacon, a puzzled look came over him.

"Uh…umm…I hate to tell you. This is not Paris."

"I can see that." Jeff said curtly. "If it's not Paris, then where are we?"

Bogg shook his head as he glanced at his partner.

"According to the omni, we're in London, 1902." Bogg responded as he struck his malfunctioning omni with the palm of his hand. "And if that wasn't bad enough, the omni is stuck in automatic mode."

"That's great! Just great!!" Jeff ranted. "This omni hasn't even been broken in yet and it's malfunctioning! We should have just kept the old one."

"I know, kid, I'm just as surprised as you are." Bogg reassured as he squeezed Jeff's shoulder.

"Don't these things come with some sort of 50,000 mile warranty or something? " Jeff asked.

"Sorry kid, there are no warranties. When they give it to you, you are on your own." Bogg closed the omni and clipped it to his belt. "That's why they provide you with a guidebook. You know… the big black leather one with the chapter on omni field stripping and maintenance. As I recall, mine ended up as dinner for a canine friend of yours."

Jeff bowed his head. "I said I was sorry." He said in a sullen tone.

"I'm just teasing… I know it wasn't your fault."

"Besides, there's nothing we can do about it now. We're here, we have a red light and we all know too well what that means."

"Yea, but what about the X-ray?"

"We'll get to it, eventually." Bogg reassured. "First we've got to figure out what's wrong here. Ok?"

"Ok, I guess." Jeff said as he resigned himself to their fate.

Bogg put his arm around his partner and smiled. Jeff stood there, frowning, somewhat disappointed by their current situation.

"Hey! C'mon now, let me see some of that ol' Voyager spirit!" Bogg teased. "You keep wearing that frown and you'll turn into… into…umm…"

Jeff's eyes brightened. "What? I'll turn into what?"

"A wrinkled ol' prune with an omni. That's what." Bogg said with a laugh.

"Funny, Bogg… Funny!" Jeff replied as he slapped Bogg on the back. "But just you remember, you'll be a wrinkled ol' prune long before I will… old timer!

"Old Timer!" Bogg exclaimed with disbelief. "Old timer! Who are you calling an old timer? As I've said before, I'm not old. I'm just entering my prime."

Jeff replied with some skepticism. "Your prime? Yea, right! So tell me… When were you born?"

"Uh…Umm…I believe it was on a Tuesday, I think. Sometime before dawn or at least that's what mom told me." Bogg said innocently. "What does this have to do with it?"

"Duh… I mean… what was the year you were born?"

Bogg paused for a moment to think. "Uh…uh…seventeen-twenty."

"Bogg, you mean you can't even remember your birthday?"

"Kid, it's been a long time since I was born."

"Obviously…" Jeff quipped. "Ok, now, so let's do the math here… You were born in 1720 and I was born in 1970. Let's see here. That makes you two hundred...and…"

"Never mind how old I am." Bogg interrupted now sporting a sneaky, mischievous smile on his face. "Come here, kiddo. Let me show you what this old timer can do to a young whipper-snapper like you."

Jeff backed away slowly from his partner. "Oh no! I don't think so."

Before he could escape, Bogg quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in close. He put on a fake expression of anger and drew back his clenched fist in preparation to let Jeff have it.

"Now who were you calling an 'old timer?" Bogg said with a deep somewhat sinister voice.

Jeff's eyes grew large, much like those of a deer being caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

"Uhh…umm…Please Bogg…uhh….I didn't mean it, honest. C'mon, Bogg, you're not gonna hit me, are you?" Jeff pleaded.

Once again, Bogg was now carrying off another of his famous pranks. He knew by Jeff's facial expression alone, it had been an absolute success. But now, it was time to ease up on him. With his partner still in his grasp, he slowly lowered his arm, put on a warm smile and softly tapped Jeff's chin with his fist.

"Gotcha!" Bogg exclaimed as he released his grip on Jeff and began to laugh.

What was about to happen next could only be described as the ultimate in retribution for a well planned prank.

While Bogg continued to laugh at his accomplishment, a brilliant idea for payback had come to the forefront of Jeff's mind. After hastily working out the details, Jeff began his little bit of drama by putting his hands in his pockets, bowing his head and walking slowly away from his partner. Bogg, who by now had regained his composure, looked around to see what had happened to Jeff and noticed him walking away in a disconsolate fashion.

"Jeff, where are you going? Jeff, c'mon. It was just a joke." Bogg said as he began to walk toward his partner.

Jeff didn't say a word, but kept on walking. Moments later, Bogg caught up with his young partner and grabbed him by the arm. Jeff began to shout and struggle to get free.

"Get away from me you brute!" Jeff shouted. "Just leave me alone, you hear! You're not my dad, 'cause no dad would ever do that to his son!"

Bogg's chin had dropped to his chest as he was thoroughly stunned by Jeff's reaction to his prank. He released his grip on the young Voyager, held up his hands and took a couple of steps backward. Before Jeff took off running, he couldn't help but notice his knees were now trembling.

"Jeff…Stop! Please don't run away from me. I'm sorry, kid. If I've hurt your feelings, come back and let's work it out… ok?" Bogg said softly.

Jeff took several steps and stopped in his tracks. He turned toward his partner, with his head still lowered and said nothing. Bogg walked over to him and as usual got down on his knees.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you shaking so?" Bogg asked softly.

Jeff continued to stare at the ground as he responded to his partner. "I…I… honestly thought you were going to clobber me." He said with fear and trembling in his voice. "How would you feel…Bogg! How would you feel if you were my size and a 6 foot tall pirate grabbed YOU by the collar and threatened to punch your lights out?"

Bogg was speechless. He knew he had crossed the line with this prank. It was never his intention to frighten Jeff. The sight of his son and partner standing in front of him, trembling with fear, made his heart ache. He lovingly reached over and raised Jeff's chin with his hand. What Bogg was about to see next was something he was not ready to deal with. Upon making eye contact with his partner, a tear slowly trickled down Jeff's face. This part of the performance was the icing on the cake, so to speak, for Bogg was now truly heartbroken.

In an attempt to bring some reconciliation and closure for the pain he had inflicted due to his reckless actions, Bogg reached over, pulled Jeff close to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Come here, kid! Please Jeffrey…please don't cry. I am so…so very sorry." Bogg said as his voice began to break. "You know…I was just playing with you. I would never ever do anything to harm you. Please, can you ever forgive me?"

Jeff did not respond. Bogg, now full of emotions and worried that his actions had permanently damaged their relationship again tried to coax a response from his partner.

"Are we still PB and J?" Bogg asked softly, choking on the words. "You're my partner, my friend and most of all, my son. What's PB without J. Just a lonely old Voyager with no place to go."

Sensing he had gotten his point across to his partner, Jeff immediately wiped the tear from his eyes and began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Gotcha back!" Jeff yelled as he began to blow on his fingernails and polish them on his shirt. "And that's one for me! I can't believe you fell for my 'little kid with the hurt feelings act."

Shock and awe could only describe the expression on Bogg's face at the moment.

"But I thought…I thought I had really frightened you." Bogg asked in disbelief.

"Me, frightened of you…You've got to be kidding. But I sure fooled you." Jeff boasted as he beamed with pride at his accomplishment.

Relieved that no serious harm had been done, Bogg took a deep, relaxing breath and wiped his brow. Then he threw his arms around his partner once again and hugged him.

"I'll have to admit, you had me worried there for a moment. I truly thought this was the end of the line for me."

"I could tell it was really getting to you, especially when you asked if we were still PB and J?" Jeff explained. "The real tears almost started falling after you asked that question."

Bogg stood up, smiled and shook his head. "I'm still in shock over what you just did. That was a good performance and it really took some guts to pull it off." Bogg admitted. "I'm proud of you, kid. I guess when it comes right down to it, my payback was long overdue."

"Yea Bogg, way…way overdue." Jeff said as he chuckled.

"You know, in light of this, I guess I'll have to develop some new tactics for my next prank."

"Yea, you better rethink your tactics for sure. " Jeff boasted. "I'm on to you now."

"You are? Oh…I'm scared. I'm so scared, I'm shaking in my boots." Bogg said as he laughed.

"You better be." Jeff warned. "'cause the next one is gonna be a doozie."

"Ok, now that you've had your moment in the limelight, don't you think we need to get back to work?" Bogg asked. "You know we've got an assignment…no, take that back…two assignments to complete and time's a wastin'. So come on, let's see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into."

"If it's ok with you, I'd like to skip the getting into trouble part."

"Hey, that's the best part!" Bogg replied with some disappointment. "There's nothing like a good sword fight or being thrown in a dungeon."

"If you say so Bogg." Jeff replied.

"Yes, I say so. Now c'mon, let's get going."

The two cautiously strolled down the dark thoroughfare seeking clues to explain the reason for their presence in this time zone. After a while, Jeff stopped and began to rub the goose bumps on his arms.

"Now what's wrong?" Bogg asked.

"It's so cold…" Jeff replied with a quiver in his voice. "My arms and fingers are going numb!"

Bogg took off his leather jerkin and wrapped it around the young Voyager.

"Here, kid. It's not much, but maybe it will keep you warm." He said as he winked at him. "We wouldn't want you to catch cold."

"What about you?" Jeff asked.

"I've been in colder spots than this. Don't worry, I can handle it."

As the two continued their journey down the darkened street, Bogg began to ask Jeff about his knowledge of this time zone.

"Kid?"

"Yea Bogg."

"Do you know anything about the history here?" Bogg asked.

"Nope." Jeff replied as he quivered. "Nothing in particular."

"Thanks…you're a big help. Some guidebook you are." Bogg said as he smiled.

"I don't claim to know everything, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I'm kidding…Just kidding…" Bogg said. "You're the best guidebook a Voyager could ever have. Just don't let it go to your head."

Jeff smiled a bit, content with his partner's assessment of the situation.

After a time, the two came upon a large wrought iron fence. After following it for several yards, it brought them to a grand and ornate entrance gate. The two stopped for a moment to get their bearings.

"I wonder who lives here?" Bogg asked curiously.

"Must be some rich person." Jeff said in awe. "Look at the size of that house! It's huge!"

"Wait a minute! There's a sign over there with a name on it." Bogg said as he strolled over to the massive stone gate post.

"What does it say?"

He proceeded to read the inscription. "It says "Hope Manor, Lord Francis Hope. Does that name ring a bell?"

Jeff remained silent for a moment, as he attempted to recall where he had heard that name before. Finally, the answer came to him.

"Yea, now I remember. Lord Francis Hope. He was one of the people who had possession of the Hope Diamond."

"The Hope Diamond?" Bogg echoed. "Never heard of it."

Jeff ran over and stood beside his partner.

"You've never heard of the Hope Diamond?" Jeff asked in a state of disbelief. "Where have you been, under a rock or something? This is the most famous jewel ever known."

"I must have missed that day of Voyager history class." Bogg replied nonchalantly. "Besides, that's what you're here for, to help fill in the gaps. Now, tell me more about this jewel."

"The Hope Diamond originally was a huge blue stone that occupied the eye of a big religious statue in India. It was stolen in…umm…1668 and sold to King Louis XIV of France. After he bought it, he had it cut into a smaller stone that eventually became part of his crown jewels."

"Just how big is this diamond?" Bogg asked.

"As I recall, it was some 69 carats."

"Wow, it weighed as much as 69 carrots?" Bogg said in amazement. "Ol' King Louis must have had a strong neck. His crown must have weighed a ton with that rock in it."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Bogg, not carrots as in the vegetable, I'm talking about carats as in the weight of jewels. It was big, Bogg, but not quite that big."

"Oh…my misunderstanding…" Bogg said apologetically. "Please, do continue."

"Anyway... the jewel was bought and sold over the years until it was acquired by the Hope family and eventually became known as the Hope Diamond. Years later, Lord Francis Hope inherited it and eventually was forced to sell it to pay off his debts."

"Where's it located now?" Bogg asked.

"In the Smithsonian…where..."

At that moment, the sounds of shattering glass and shouting could be heard coming from the mansion. This was followed by a loud report of a gun.

"Shhh, kid!!! Listen!" Bogg urged.

The shouting continued. "STOP THIEF! STOP OR I'LL SHOOT!!!"

Suddenly, Bogg looked up and noticed a man dressed in dark clothing running away from the mansion.

"Jeff, stay here! It sounds like someone needs help and I'm going in."

"Bogg, whatever you do, be careful!" Jeff exclaimed with concern.

Bogg quickly opened the gate and darted across the yard. Upon seeing the thief, he stopped for a moment and yelled out to get his attention.

"Hey you… you in the dark coat! Come back here! What's the big hurry?"

The thief stopped in his tracks for a moment and glanced at the Voyager before he ran off in the opposite direction.

"Oh no you don't." Bogg mumbled as he sprinted after him. He continued to chase the thief across the front lawn and through the neatly trimmed hedgerows. Being only a few feet behind the thief, Bogg quickly leaped forward and attempted to put him in a head lock and throw him to the ground. At this point, the thief began to struggle violently and after a time, eventually broke free of his captor. Without warning, he suddenly turned and threw a punch at Bogg. In retaliation, Bogg landed a fist to his stomach, doubling him over in agony. A slugfest ensued next. Bogg and the thief began swapping punches, blow for blow until Bogg finally landed one squarely on the thief's jaw. With this, the thief fell to the ground. Dazed but not yet subdued, the thief managed to get back to his feet and again took another swing at Bogg, this time landing one to his chin. Stunned by the blow, Bogg fell to the ground almost unconscious. The thief, seeing his adversary had been neutralized took this opportunity to make a hasty get away. He quickly ran across the lawn and disappeared into the darkness.

While Jeff waited patiently for his partner's return, the thief came storming through the gate and ran down the street. Realizing Bogg was no-where in sight, Jeff cautiously crept through the gate, calling out for him.

"Bogg!!! Where are you Bogg?" Jeff whispered loudly.

Bogg still dazed from his 'bout with the thief, responded.

"Uhhh….oooohhhh…Kid… I'm over here."

Jeff immediately ran over and kneeled on the ground beside his partner.

"Bogg, what happened? Are you ok?" Jeff exclaimed.

His partner slowly sat up and rubbed his swollen jaw.

"Kid, I'm ok, just a little beaten and bruised."

At that moment, Lord Francis, holding a lantern in one hand and a loaded pistol in the other, walked up and stood next to the two Voyagers.

"Hold it right there! Don't move or I'll shoot!" He exclaimed. "I want some answers and I want them right now! First and foremost, who are you and why did you steal my diamond?"

The two looked at each other somewhat bewildered not knowing exactly how to respond. Jeff rolled his eyes and whispered. "You wanted trouble…well…here it is! And this time we're up to our necks in it."

Bogg put on a sheepish grin and cautiously raised both his hands in the air as he attempted to explain.

"Sir. I'm Phineas Bogg and this is my partner Jeffrey Jones. I assure you, we did not steal your diamond or anything else for that matter."

"Ok, Mr. Bogg…" Lord Francis replied as he waived his pistol at the two. "If that's the case, then why are you here on the grounds of my estate?"

"Good question." Jeff whispered to his partner.

"Sir, both of us are unarmed. If you will put down your gun, I believe we can clear up this little misunderstanding to your satisfaction." Bogg said nervously stumbling on his words.

"Ok, but if you two hooligans try anything funny, I warn you, you'll end up with a good-sized hole in your stomach. " Lord Francis warned as he put away his gun.

"I'm listening…So explain yourselves and remember, no funny business!"

"Sir, the kid and I are travelers of sorts. We were walking down the street, looking for a place to stay for the night, when we heard the sounds of glass shattering and gunshots coming from your home. I thought someone was in trouble, so I thought I'd try and lend a hand. As I opened the gate and ran inside, I saw a man dressed in dark clothing running across the property. I attempted to apprehend him, but as you see, he got the best of me and escaped. Jeff here came on the property to find out what happened to me. It was at that point you found us both here."

"I guess your story IS plausible." Lord Francis said, somewhat skeptically. "That man you saw running across the property broke into my home earlier and stole a rare and valuable jewel that has been in my family for generations."

"This jewel…was it the Hope diamond?" Jeff asked.

"Yes. Curious you should call it by that name. Only a few people know of its existence and even fewer know of it by that name. How did you come to learn of this?"

"Well, sir…uh…I…uh", Jeff said as he stumbled on his words.

Sensing Jeff was now in a tight spot, Bogg decided to come to his rescue.

"What the kid is trying to say is we are both historians of a sort." Bogg said as he winked at Jeff. "There's not much that gets past us, historically speaking of course."

"I see. Well, gentlemen, even though the thief got away, I guess I should commend you both for your courageous efforts." Lord Frances extended his hand to the battered Voyager. "Here let me help you up."

"My name is Lord Francis Hope and this is my estate. I'm sorry for the rather unorthodox inquisition I just put you both through. Please let me make amends by extending to you the hospitality of my home."

Bogg shook Lord Francis' hand. "Thank you sir. We are both greatly appreciative of your generous offer."

"Come, gentlemen. Let us go inside and get out of this cold air."

The three made their way across the lawn to the front entrance of the mansion and went inside. Lord Francis escorted them through the main hallway down to the sitting room.

"Please, gentlemen. Do make yourselves comfortable by the fire."

The two Voyagers went into the room and seated themselves in front of the fireplace.

"Could I get the two of you some refreshments? Maybe a spot of tea and some biscuits?" He asked courteously.

"Thank you, sir. That would be great." Bogg replied.

"Lord Francis left the room to see to the refreshments. While he was away, the two Voyagers discussed the situation.

"Bogg, we have to find that diamond. Otherwise, there could be even more problems with history."

"How so, kid? After all, isn't it just gonna eventually end up in a museum?"

"No, Bogg. It will be many years before it arrives at the Smithsonian. Before that, the diamond will pass through the hands of several important people. Also, it will be cut one more time before it reaches its final destination."

"So in other words, we must find this thief." Bogg said.

'Yea,"

"Looks like some investigation is again in order."

"Yep, I'd say it's time for Holmes and Watson to start investigating." Jeff said with enthusiasm

"Oh…no! It's just Holmes this time. Watson won't be coming along on this one."

"But Bogg!" Jeff argued.

"No buts. We're dealing with a criminal here. It's just too dangerous for you…"

At that moment, Lord Francis returned with a tray of tea and biscuits and placed it on the table in front of them.

"Here we are, a little bit of light refreshment before bed. I trust the two of you like strawberry jam, since that's all I had left in the kitchen."

"Strawberry is fine, sir." Bogg replied as he poured a cup of tea for him and his partner.

Lord Francis sat down across from the two and poured a cup of tea for himself. He leisurely sat back in his chair and took a sip of it.

"Lord Francis, sir, I have a proposition for you." Bogg said with a little bit of panache.

"What's that, Mr. Bogg?"

"Why don't we help you recover your stolen jewel? It's the least we can do to repay you for your generous hospitality."

Jeff's ears perked up and he began to smile upon hearing his partner's utterance of the word 'we'.

"Help me? Why on Earth would you want to put yourselves in such great harm to help me?" Lord Francis asked.

"Let's just say, we are donating our services to a good cause." Bogg replied as he skated sideways around the answer.

"Do you have a plan, Mr. Bogg?"

"No, not just yet, but that shouldn't be a problem. But we do need information…"

"That is something we don't have much of at the moment, Mr. Bogg."

"We need to find out who is at the bottom of this. Can you think of anyone who would have a reason to steal this jewel?" Bogg asked.

Lord Francis thought for a moment, before responding. "No, not that I'm aware of."

Quickly, Jeff jumped into the conversation. "Do you have any enemies?" He asked.

"No, son. I'm pretty much a hermit. I don't have any enemies, just a few creditors I'm indebted to."

"Would any of them have anything to gain by stealing your jewel?" Jeff asked.

"Well, yes." Lord Francis said somewhat shamefully as he let out a deep sigh. "As much as I hate to say it, I'm currently not in the best of financial conditions."

"Can you tell us about it?" Bogg asked sympathetically.

"It's like this gentlemen, I inherited this mansion several years ago after my father died. It had a lien on it, which I am trying to pay off. However, along with it, I inherited the rest of his debt as well. In order to get out from under this growing debt, I had contacted a local jeweler with a request to sell the jewel. I had spoken with him today and he informed me he had a buyer for it, at the right price. A meeting was to take place on Friday to finalize the sale. But now, it's gone. What am I to do?"

"Sir, please. Don't worry. We will get to the bottom of this and return your jewel to you, in time for Friday's meeting." Bogg reassured.

"Thank you Mr. Bogg…thank you Jeff. I sincerely hope you do."

Suddenly, the clock on the wall began to chime. Bogg looked up and saw it was now 11 pm.

"It's getting late and I believe the two of us should turn in for the night."

"Oh, look at the time." Lord Francis replied as he put his cup down on the table. "Maybe we all should take your advice and turn in for the evening. Come, gentlemen, let me show you to your room."

"Can we help you clean up here?" Jeff asked.

"No, but thank you for the offer. I'll see to it later, after I show you upstairs."

The two Voyagers followed Lord Francis as he left the sitting room and made his way down the long hallway to a grand staircase. Slowly the three climbed the stairs to the upper level. Lord Francis then escorted his guests to one of the many rooms on the front of the mansion.

"Here are your accommodations." Lord Francis announced as he opened the door to the room. "It's not much, but it's comfortable."

Bogg and Jeff, expecting something quite plain according to the rather bland description of the room by their host, peeked inside. Much to their surprise, the room looked much like the Royal suite at Buckingham Palace.

"Please, make yourselves at home. Breakfast is as 7:00 am. If you need anything else, my room is two doors down on the left."

Jeff suddenly thought of something that Lord Francis had forgotten to mention.

"Sir, excuse me, but what about the…" Jeff asked before he was interrupted.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot…the most important thing… The water closet is just across the hallway if the need arises." Lord Francis said with a smile. "For now gentlemen, I bid good night to you both.

Lord Francis exited the room and quietly closed the door behind him. Jeff, sporting a confused look, turned to his partner.

"Bogg?"

"Yea kid."

"How…? How did he know...?"

"How did he know what?" Bogg asked curiously.

"How did he know I was about to ask where the bathroom was?" Jeff asked.

"Well, he probably noticed the very big clue you were giving him." Bogg said as he chuckled. "It was…quite plain you see."

"What clue are you talking about?"

"Geeze…Jeff, you were standing there with your legs crossed. It looked like you were about to pop."

"Oh.... Was it THAT obvious?" Jeff asked with some color now in his cheeks.

"Yea, kid, it WAS that obvious."

"Well, now that I know where it is…I'll be right back." Jeff said as he quickly darted out the door.

"I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere." Bogg said with a grin.


	5. A Voyager's Work Is Never Done

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 4 – A VOYAGER'S WORK IS NEVER DONE**

The next morning, the two Voyagers awoke to begin the task of recovering the lost diamond for their generous host. After washing up and getting dressed, they were startled by the sound of a knock at the door of their room.

"Who is it?" Bogg asked as he grabbed his omni from a nearby table and clipped it to his belt.

"Sir, it's Giles. I'm Lord Francis's personal assistant. May I come in?"

Bogg strolled over to the door and opened it. Giles came into the room, his arms fully laden with clothing.

"Lord Francis wanted me to present these to you." He said with an air of dignity in his voice.

"What's this?" Bogg asked with some curiosity.

"While your clothes are being cleaned and pressed, he asked me to find some suitable clothing for you to wear. I hope these are satisfactory." He said as he walked over and draped the clothing across the end of the bed.

"Wow, thanks Giles." Bogg replied as he cast an eye over them. "These will be just fine."

"Is there anything else I can do for you gentlemen?" Giles asked.

"No, this is quite enough, thank you."

"If you need me just call." Giles said as he turned to exit the room. "Oh, one other thing…Lord Francis wanted me to remind you, breakfast will be served in 30 minutes."

"Thank you. We will be right down."

Giles left the room and Bogg closed the door behind him.

"Bogg! Look at these!" Jeff said enthusiastically. "They must have cost a fortune!"

Bogg walked over and picked up the larger of the two outfits. It was a brown tweed suit with a coordinating vest and a white silk shirt."

He held the garments out in front of him and examined them closely.

"Hmmm…I don't know about this." He said with some skepticism. "This looks a bit too formal for me. Kinda reminds me of the Beau Brummel look. So, what did he leave for you, kid?"

Jeff reached down and picked up an almost identical outfit.

"Well, obviously he must think we're twins or something." Jeff said sarcastically.

Bogg laughed. "Hey, we're PB and J. So I guess we now have to dress the part. C'mon, I guess we better try these on and see how we look."

The two slipped out of their usual Voyager attire and put on the clothing that was left for them. After a few minutes, Bogg walked over to Jeff's side and cast an eye over him.

"Wow Bogg, you look terrific!", Jeff exclaimed. "I like the Homberg and the cane. Very sophisticated."

"Thanks, kid. Here, let me get a look at you." Bogg said as he looked at his partner. "Nice suit! Makes you look very handsome. By the way, where's your hat?"

"Oh, the hat, I almost forgot." Jeff said as he picked his ivy cap off the bed and put it on.

"You look very smart if I say so." Bogg complimented. "Besides, after being around a handsome guy like me for so long, some of that handsomeness has to rub off. Isn't that right?"

"Yea, thanks, Bogg."

"Ready to go downstairs and knock their socks off?" Bogg asked with a grin.

"Yea, I'm ready and I'm starved as well."

"Me too! C'mon."

The two Voyagers made their way downstairs to the dining room and sat down at the table. Lord Francis had arrived earlier and was currently sipping his tea and reading the morning news.

"Good morning, gentlemen."

"Good morning, sir."

"I trust you both had a good night's rest."

"We did sir." Bogg replied. "And thank you for the clothes as well."

"It's nothing, Mr. Bogg. Do you like them?"

"Absolutely! They are some of the best that I have ever worn."

At that moment, the servants brought in three silver serving dishes and placed them on the table in front of them. Another servant poured a cup of tea for Bogg and Jeff from a large silver teapot.

One of the servants walked over and graciously removed the lids of each dish to reveal a rather grand feast underneath. Jeff looked at his partner as he raised his eyebrows and smiled. Bogg in return, smiled and winked as he attempted to wipe away the drool running from the corner of his mouth.

"Well gentlemen, have you had time to come up with a plan?" Lord Francis asked as he put down his newspaper.

"Now that you mention it, yes!" Bogg replied. "But, I've got one question for you, though."

"What's that Mr. Bogg?"

"We need to know if there's a place around here where members of the criminal element normally hang out."

"Yes, there's a little place, a little pub I believe, down by the waterfront. It has a reputation of being the meeting place for gangs and criminals."

"Do you know the name?" Bogg asked.

"It's called the Fleur de Lis." Lord Francis replied. "Surely, you two are not thinking of going there?"

"Yes. I believe that's the best place to start our investigation."

"Mr. Bogg, if you and Jeff go there, I feel you'll be putting yourselves at great risk." Lord Francis warned with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Please sir, don't worry. The kid and I have been in more dangerous situations than this in the past." He reassured.

"Well…if you say so…" Lord Francis said as he took a sip from his cup. Please, Mr. Bogg. Do continue with your explanation."

"Well, sir, here's the plan. Jeff and I will make a trip to the Fleur de Lis and put the word out that our boss has heard that a rather large diamond has been fenced and he is interested in acquiring it. Once we get a contact, we'll go to this person with the intent of buying the diamond and steal it back from him. So, what do you think of the plan so far?"

"I don't know. It still sounds very dangerous to me. What if the two of you get caught?"

Bogg put his hand on the omni which was attached to his waistband. "If we get into trouble, we have an exit strategy. I call it the silver plan." Bogg said as he winked at his partner. "Isn't that right, Jeff?"

Jeff quickly swallowed the mouthful of food he was chewing and spoke up. "Yea, Bogg, as I recall, we have two exit strategies."

Bogg smiled at his partner. He had all but forgotten about Jeff's omni.

"Yea, you're right, I totally forgot about the gold plan." So it looks like either way, if we get into trouble, we're covered."

"When were you planning on starting this undertaking?" Lord Francis asked.

"As soon as we finish breakfast." Bogg replied enthusiastically. "There's no time like the present."

"Obviously, you're not going to waste any time, are you?"

"No sir. " Bogg replied. "This diamond must be back in your hands by Friday. Today is Tuesday. This doesn't leave us much time to play around with."

Bogg looked at his partner who was at the moment, still eating. "Aren't you finished yet?"

Jeff stopped and put down his fork. "Yea Bogg, I'm done. I couldn't eat another bite."

"Well, we better get a move on. We can't sit around here all day."

The two Voyagers placed their napkins on the table and stood up. They thanked their host for the wonderful meal and quickly left the room. Before they could leave, Lord Francis put down his cup of tea and summoned their attention as he rose from the table.

"Wait! Gentlemen, one other thing before you leave." He beckoned.

Bogg and Jeff, now in the main hallway, stopped for a moment to allow their host to catch up with them.

"Gentlemen, before you go, there's something I need to give to you." Lord Francis said as he stepped over to a nearby cabinet.

As the two stood there and watched, Lord Francis opened a drawer and retrieved a small pistol with a pearl inlay handle.

"Here, Mr. Bogg. This is for the two of you. Just in case you get into trouble and your exit strategy fails."

Bogg stared at the gun briefly, before turning his attention back to his host.

"Sir, thank you for the offer, but I don't think we'll be needing that."

Lord Francis pushed the gun closer to Bogg.

"Go on, Mr. Bogg, take it!" Lord Francis urged. "You may not need it, but I'd feel more comfortable if you took it with you. Call it a backup to the backup plan."

Bogg hesitated for a bit, then slowly reached over and took possession of the weapon. He opened his overcoat and slipped it into an inside pocket.

"Well, I guess you two had better be on your way." Lord Francis said with some angst. "I beg of you, please…please do be careful. You know not what you are about to get yourselves into. I'll feel much better once the two of you are back here safely."

"Sir, please don't worry. We will be fine." Bogg assured. "We've been in worse situations than this before. Isn't that right, kiddo?"

"Yea, Bogg."

"You know it's quite a distance to the Fleur de Lis." Lord Francis noted. "May I offer you the services of my driver to take you there in my carriage?"

"Thank you sir, but I believe the walk with do us good." Bogg replied.

"C'mon kid."

The two Voyagers opened the main door and made their way down the walkway to the street. While enroute to their destination, they began to discuss their plan in more detail.

"Ok, kid, here's the plan. Once we get inside, we'll take a seat over in an inconspicuous place, order something and observe the patrons as they go about their business. Once we've gotten a feel for what's going on, I'll slip over to the barkeep and see if I can make some contacts."

"That sounds great Bogg, but what do you want me to do?" Jeff asked.

"I need you to stay back in the shadows and watch what is going on. You'll be the eyes in the back of my head so to speak. If you see anything suspicious, give me a signal. Ok?"

"Ok. Let's say some gangster decides to pull out a gun and come up behind you, what signal should I give you?" Jeff said sarcastically with a big grin.

Bogg rolled his eyes and breathed a sigh. "Smart kids give me such a pain."

"You still haven't answered my question. What's the signal?" Jeff asked impatiently.

Bogg, who was now a little bit miffed at his partner, responded. "I don't know, kid. Just yell out GUN or RUN or something."

"Okay! OKAY!" Jeff exclaimed. "I was just asking a simple question. You don't have to get all bent out of shape over it."

Bogg stopped and put his hand on Jeff's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, kid. I know you mean well. I'm just a bit apprehensive about going into an unknown situation."

"That's ok Bogg. I understand." Jeff reassured. "But I'm still not clear about what signal to give you if someone pulls a gun on you."

Jeff had again struck a nerve in his partner and he now knew it. Bogg's expression of aggravation was like a neon sign, flashing the words, 'You're gonna get it now." Without saying a word, Jeff smiled back at Bogg as he slowly took a couple of steps backward. Bogg took a quick step forward, his eyes fixed on his partner and a big mischievous grin on his face.

"Now your gonna get it!" Bogg exclaimed. "Just wait 'til I get my hands on you. I assure you it's not gonna be pretty."

Jeff put his hands out in front of him. "Oh no, I don't think so. I really don't think so! You'll have to catch me first." He yelled as he sprinted down the road.

Bogg set off in pursuit. "Yea, I think it's time you had another bath. Only this time it will be in the cold waters of the Thames."

A few hundred feet down the road, Bogg finally caught up with Jeff and grabbed him by his belt. "Gotcha, you little pain."

As Jeff thrashed about and struggled to get free, Bogg continued to hold his own. However, after several minutes of trying to keep a grip on him, Bogg had become exhausted from his efforts. Suddenly, he released his grip and bent over with his hands on his thighs, attempting to catch his breath.

"Ok, Bogg, I'm sorry." Jeff said as he held out his hand. "Truce?"

Bogg raised his head and looked at Jeff. "Ok, Truce."

"Shouldn't we get going?" Jeff asked. "You know we are on a mission."

"Yea I guess, but first, there's something I need to do."

"What's that?" Jeff asked.

"This!", Bogg said as he grabbed his partner and through him over his shoulder.

Jeff, surprised by Bogg's quick reflexes, began to wave his arms and thrash about.

"Bogg, c'mon, put me down. Please."

"Nope. Not until we reach the Thames. Then I'll put you down alright… right down into the river!!"

"No, Bogg! No! Please, not another bath. Please Bogg." Jeff pleaded.

"Ok, say the magic words. C'mon, say 'em.", Bogg teased.

"I give!" Jeff yelled out as tried to catch his breath from all the laughter.

"Nope, wrong magic words! Try again!"

"Umm…let's see now. Hmmm….Ok, got it!" Jeff said as he continued to laugh. "You're the best partner and dad anyone could ever have."

"Close, but still not the correct magic words. You're running out of time, kid."

"Ok, I think I've got it this time. I'M REALLY, TRULY SORRY BOGG!!!"

Upon hearing this, Bogg, slowly lowered him to the ground. He put his arm around him and gave him a big squeeze.

"I think you've learned your lesson. So, enough of this foolishness. Let's get going. We've got a diamond to recover, you know.

The two continued to discuss their plans as they resumed their long walk to the waterfront. After some thirty minutes had passed, they came upon an area of town lined with old abandoned buildings and warehouses. Bogg and Jeff stopped momentarily to get their bearings and to survey the area. In the background, the sound of rattling tin cans could be heard nearby. Jeff, shaken by the noise, clutched his partner's waist.

"Bogg!" Jeff whispered.

"Yea kid."

"I don't know about you, but this place gives me the creeps."

"I know. It is quite spooky here." Bogg acknowledged. "But remember there's no need to fear, 'cause Phineas Bogg is here!"

Jeff shook his head and smiled. "Seems like I've heard that line somewhere before."

"Hey, that's a Phineas Bogg original. You like?"

"Yea, I guess. As for original...I really don't think so."

"Just remember, if someone or something tries to lay a hand on you…they'll have to go through me first. GRRRRRRR! No one, I mean no one lays a finger on my kid." Bogg said with a smile. "Well, no one except for me of course."

"Bogg!!!" Jeff exclaimed. "I can't believe you said that."

"Ok, the pep talk is over. C'mon, the Fleur de Lis cannot be much further."

The waterfront area could only be described as the ideal haven for members of the criminal element. It was at the very least, dark and intimidating. No sane person would dare set foot in this area unless they had good reason to do so. With Bogg and Jeff still searching for their destination, they continued on their journey, attempting to remain calm amidst an onslaught of mysterious sounds coming from the area.

After some time and a few frayed nerves, the two arrived at the Fleur de Lis. Bogg opened the massive wooden door and the two cautiously stepped inside.

The inside of the pub was a cold, dark and dirty place. The area was dimly lit by several gas lamps which hung from strategic points on the ceiling. The middle of the room was occupied by several rustic looking tables surrounded by various mismatched chairs. Along the walls were larger square tables covered with smutty tablecloths. The air was heavy and laden with the choking stench of cigar smoke. There was only one window, which was encrusted with years of dirt and grease. Along the left wall was a long wooden bar, adorned with various rickety stools for the patrons to sit upon. A few lonely and seemingly unused liquor bottles stood proudly on the shelves behind the bar, each adorned with a thick layer of dust.

As the two made their way inside the pub, a couple of patrons seated near the entrance, turned and watched their every move as they proceeded to seat themselves at a table in the corner.

"Bogg!" Jeff whispered. "I don't like this place."

"Calm down Jeff." Bogg urged. "It's gonna be ok."

Suddenly, a buxom serving wench sauntered over to attend to Bogg and Jeff's needs.

"Sir, we are not allowed to serve children here." The wench quipped.

"Ma'am, he's my partner and I assure you he will not be partaking of any libations." Bogg replied with a smile.

"So what can I get for you today?"

"I'll have a small glass of rum. Give the kid here a glass of water."

"Rum and water it is." She repeated. She quickly turned and yelled their order over to the barkeep.

"I need a rum and a river water and make it quick."

"You're having rum? You've got to be kidding? Right?" Jeff asked in disbelief.

"I ordered a glass of rum, but, I'm not gonna drink it." Bogg explained. "I can only imagine what would happen if I ordered a glass of milk in a place like this. That would have raised some eyebrows for sure. It's bad enough we seem out of place here, without adding fuel to the fire."

The wench returned with the glasses of rum and water and placed them on the table in front of the two. "Need anything else?" She barked.

"No, thank you ma'am."

Bogg raised the glass to his lips and pretended to take a sip. He licked his lips as he set the glass on the table and whispered to his partner..

"I don't know what that is, but it's not rum. It tastes more like watered down rye."

The two continued to take in the sights and sounds of the establishment, as well as observing the actions of the barkeep and the patrons as they went about their business. After a while, one by one the drunken patrons began to stagger out the door until the pub was empty. At this point, Bogg decided it was time to approach the barkeep.

"Kid, looks like it's time for action. You sit here and keep an eye out for the bad guys." Bogg said as he winked at his partner.

"Ok, but you be careful." Jeff warned.

Bogg stood up with his glass of rum, walked over and sat down on one of the rickety stools at the bar. The barkeep, noticing Bogg now seated at the bar, limped over and stood in front of him.

"What's your poison?" The barkeep asked with a cockney accent.

"I'm fine." Bogg said as he held up his glass. "But maybe you can do something else for me."

"What you want? A favor?" He asked gruffly. "I don't do favors for just anyone, you know."

Bogg moved in closer and motioned the barkeep to do the same. He began to whisper to him.

"Me and the kid over there work for the notorious Mr. Giles. Ever heard of him?"

"Never heard of him. " The barkeep replied.

"I'm surprised." Bogg whispered. "You might know him better as 'The Boss'…Familiar?"

"The Boss?" The barkeep exclaimed with a hint of angst in his voice. "Know of him, yes I know of him and I also knew those who got in his way."

"The Boss is a very bad man with very little patience and pretty much what he wants, he gets." Bogg explained. "And if he doesn't get it, with one snap of his fingers, you will end up with a new pair of cement overshoes at the bottom of the river. Get the picture?"

"Yea, I understand. " The barkeep acknowledged. "All too well. But what's this all about and what does this have to do with me?"

Bogg began to speak in a lighter version of his popular gangster voice.

"Well, a lot, or then again, maybe nothing. It's all about living and about money, you see."

"The Boss has gotten word that a really big rock has just been acquired from a very wealthy person in the area. He likes big rocks and the bigger the better. When he heard about this one, he said only three words to his lackeys."

"What were they?" The barkeep asked, now intrigued with Bogg's yarn.

"The three words were 'I want it.'" Bogg responded. "And that's all that he needed to say.

Bogg looked cautiously around the room, before continuing with his story.

"I was told by a very reliable source that you would know who might have possession of such a rare beauty." He whispered.

"Yes I have some contacts, but what's in it for me?" The barkeep asked.

"I'll tell you what's in it for you." Bogg replied as he again looked around the room to see if anyone was listening and motioned for the barkeep to come closer.

Bogg put his hand over his mouth and whispered a few words into the barkeep's ear. At that moment, a large smile came over his face.

"Ok. Count me in." He said eagerly. "What do you want to know?"

"How do we get in touch with those who have the rock?" Bogg asked.

"I can tell you this much. I don't know exactly who has it, but I know someone who does."

"I'm listening. Who is he and where can I find him?" Bogg asked.

"His name is Doyle and you can find him in the old tobacco warehouse a few blocks down the street. When you get there, tell him Big Al sent ya."

Bogg slowly got up from his seat. "We'll be in touch." He said as he grabbed his hat and motioned for Jeff to follow him to the door.

Before they could leave the establishment, Big Al left them with one final thought.

"Gentlemen, when you see The Boss, please give him my warmest regards, ok?"

"Sure, I'll give him the message" Bogg replied as he and Jeff hurried out the door.

Once outside, Jeff, who had been in shadows observing Bogg's undercover work, tried his best to coax his partner to spill the beans. Bogg stopped in his tracks as Jeff seized his arm.

"C'mon Bogg, what did you find out?" Jeff asked.

"We now have a contact. His name's Doyle and his hideout is an old tobacco warehouse just a few blocks from here."

"That's great!" Jeff affirmed. "I've got one question."

"Ok, kid, shoot!"

"What did you whisper in the barkeep's ear to get him to cooperate?"

"Oh, nothing much." Bogg said as he nodded. "I just told him if he cooperated, he'd be handsomely rewarded by The Boss."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Who are you trying to kid? You must have said something else to him; otherwise his goons would have thrown us both out in the street on our tubas."

A mischievous grin came over Bogg's face. He remained silent for a moment before coming clean with his partner.

"Ok, OK…I give! You forced it out of me!" Bogg teased. "I did say one other thing to him."

"What's that."

Bogg cleared his throat and started speaking in his best gangster voice.

"Ya see it's like dis."

Jeff nodded his head in disbelief and laughed. "Oh no, not another Al Capone imitation."

Bogg lowered his brow and glared at his partner.

"Ya want's to quit ya whinin' or do I has ta shutcha up?"

"I'm sorry, Bogg, but you have to admit; it is funny." Jeff said as he quickly composed himself.

"I told him if he didn't cooperate, da Boss would make sure he'da be serving dem drinks from a new location. Dat bein' da bottom of da Thames. Had him singin' like a bird after dat."

Jeff laughed. "Sounds like he's not too keen on relocation."

"I'd say he's not ready for a run in with da Boss."

"So when do we meet this Doyle character?" Jeff asked.

"That's our next stop." Bogg replied as he nudged his partner. "C'mon, time's a wastin' kiddo."


	6. A Trip To The Underground

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 5 – A TRIP TO THE UNDERGROUND**

After a few minutes of walking, Bogg and Jeff came to the old tobacco warehouse Big Al had spoken of in his conversation. Pausing for a moment outside the entrance, Bogg began to go over the current plan with his young partner.

"Well, looks like this is the place." Bogg affirmed.

"What's the plan now?" Jeff asked.

"Pretty much, kid, we'll go in and attempt to have a conversation with this Doyle fellow. You just stay behind me, keep an eye out and follow my lead. Ok?"

"Got it, I'll follow your lead."

"Ready?

"Yea, let's go!" Jeff affirmed.

After motioning to his partner to be quiet, Bogg took hold of the doorknob, inched the door open and peered around. Finding no apparent threats, the two stepped inside. Jeff, who was following closely in his partner's footsteps just managed to get clear of the door before Bogg stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"Shhhh! Listen!" Bogg whispered. "Hear that!"

The two stood silent and motionless as they heard the sounds of several men arguing upstairs.

"I wonder what that's all about." Jeff said in a whisper.

"I don't know, but I'd say we need to take a closer look." Bogg replied. "Shall we?"

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, I just had to open my big mouth…" Jeff mumbled.

"Feeling a little…scared…kiddo?" Bogg asked with just an inkling of a smile coming from his lips. "If that's the case, you could just stay here and wait."

Not knowing what action he should take at this point, Jeff looked around the dark and dilapidated room as he weighed his options. He could go with Bogg to investigate the situation upstairs or he could remain in the area, unaware of what could be lurking just around the corner. After a few moments, Bogg posed the question again.

"Ok, we don't have all day, so what's the verdict?" Bogg whispered. "Are you coming with me or staying? I need to know now."

Jeff looked up at his partner, frowned a bit and replied. "I'm coming with you, I guess."

"Well then… c'mon!" Bogg spouted impatiently.

Bogg stealthily made his way down the corridor with his partner following him in his footsteps. At the end of the corridor, they came upon an old iron staircase leading to upper floor. With guarded apprehension, the two tiptoed up the rusty staircase and out onto the landing where they stood and surveyed the area. Suddenly, the men began to argue again and the two turned their attention to a nearby door with a number '1' painted on it.

"Sounds like all the ruckus is coming from over there behind that door."

"Yea, no doubt." Jeff acknowledged. "Seems like they are gonna kill each other."

"C'mon, let's see what's behind door number one." Bogg urged.

"Door number one? Hey, who are you trying to be, Monty Hall or something?" Jeff whispered.

"I didn't make it up. That's what's on the door. Look!" Bogg said as he pointed to the door. "And who's this Monty Hall, kid?"

Jeff shook his head and stared at his feet, as once again he could not believe his ears. "Never mind, Bogg. I'll explain later." Jeff replied.

"You always say that." Bogg chided. "Problem is you never do it."

"You're just a million laughs, Bogg."

"Shhhhhh! C'mon!"

Behind the closed door of the room, the dispute continued to escalate, loud and uninterrupted. The two quietly tiptoed over to the door and prepared to make an unannounced entrance.

"Are you ready to crash this party, kid?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I guess."

"Ok, on the count of three, we go in." Bogg whispered.

"One…." Bogg counted.

Before Bogg could finish his countdown, Jeff sensed a presence closing in from behind. As he glanced back over his shoulder, he discovered a thug dressed in a dark coat reaching for him. He tapped his partner urgently on the back.

"Uh…Bogg…umm…Bogg!" Jeff prompted as he attempted to get Bogg's attention.

"What now, kid? Can't you see I'm about to open the door?"

"Umm…Bogg…" Jeff whispered nervously. "I think you'd better take a look behind us."

Irritated somewhat with Jeff's bit of nagging, Bogg turned and made eye contact with the thug, who now had Jeff in his clutches. Without warning, another thug stepped out from the shadows and subdued Bogg. After one thug kicked open the door, the two of them shoved their captives brusquely to the floor inside.

With this, the dispute ceased for a moment. The men in the room drew their weapons and pointed them at their two captives.

"Found these two snooping around outside." The first thug announced. "What do you want me to do with them?"

One of the men who currently had his gun pointed at the two, replied. "Leave 'em here, we'll take care of 'em."

The two thugs released their captives, exited the room and closed the door behind them.

Bogg, very much aware he was now out manned and out gunned, raised his hands in the air as he attempted to get to his feet.

One of the men in the room waived his gun in the air and began to speak. "This is a private meeting. Just who do you think you are barging in like this?"

"Yea, who do you think you are?" Another man said as he took a step toward them.

Bogg scowled a bit as he finally stood up and attempted to explain their reasons for being there.

"Sorry to break up ya's meeting, but… we have some bidniss to conduct. We're lookin' for Doyle. Ya' knows of him?"

The two men stepped aside, revealing another who was dressed in a three piece suit, sitting at an old wooden desk behind them.

"I'm Doyle. What's it to you and what's this business you speak of?"

Bogg cautiously stepped over and stood in front of the desk, his partner now at his side.

"Name's Bogg, Phineas Bogg." He said with his best gangster voice. "You can calls me Phinny. Tha little runt here is my partner. Big Al sent us over to discuss som' bidniss."

Doyle looked up from his desk and summoned the attention of the other two thugs who were still in the room.

"If Big Al sent them, well, it must be legit." Doyle replied before waiving his hand in the air. "You two…go! Find something to occupy yourselves. We'll discuss our problem later."

"Yes sir, Mr. Doyle." The two replied.

The two men quickly left the room and closed the door behind them.

"Well now, Mr. Bogg." Doyle said as he opened the top drawer of his desk.

"Dat's Phinny to ya'" Bogg said.

"Excuse me, Phinny." Doyle said with remorse. "It's not often Big Al trusts someone enough to send them over to discuss business with me."

Doyle took a draw off his cigarette, then pulled a loaded pistol out of the drawer and placed it on the table.

"Must be something really worthwhile. So have a seat and tell me about it."

Bogg and Jeff pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Can I offer you gentlemen a drink?" Doyle asked.

"Thanks, but da kid and I are ok fors the time be-yun." Bogg replied.

"What can I do for you gentlemen today?"

"We were sent by our em-ploy-ur to get the skinny on a veery large jew-el, dat was shall we say, con--fis--cated yesterday."

"Your employer? Just who might that be?" Doyle asked curiously.

"Ya' bidniss associate, ol' Big Al asked dat same question a while back. He was shakin' in his boots when I told him his name." Bogg continued.

"Please Mr. Bogg, enlighten us." Doyle urged as he took another drag off his cigarette.

"We knows of him as da Boss."

At that moment, Doyle began to choke on his cigarette and cough violently.

"Da Boss!" Doyle said as he struggled to suppress his coughing. "I mean The Boss. The two of you work for The Boss?"

"Yep, da big cheese himself. Ya' sees, he knows about da big rock and he wants it…bad." Bogg said. "That's why we turned up."

"What makes him think I have this 'rock?'" Doyle asked rather nervously.

Bogg rose from his seat and began pacing the floor. "He knows…He knows! He knows ya' don't have it, but he knows ya's knows who does.

Doyle sat back in his chair and stroked his chin. "Yes, I do know who has it. The question is…What's in it for me?"

"If ya' cooperate…lotsa moo-la!" Bogg said.

"How much are we talking about here?" Doyle asked.

"Well, let's just say, ya's be addin' to ya' stash of pretty paintin's." Bogg said with a slight smile.

"And if I don't cooperate?" Doyle asked curiously.

"Do ya' really needs to know dat?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, Phinny, tell me."

Bogg slowly and confidently walked over and stood behind his partner.

"Those details are not fit for young'uns ears." Bogg said as he put his hands over Jeff's ears.

"If ya' don't co—op--er--ate ya' see… I trust ya' knows howst to swim, 'cause ya' be doin' it for all 'ternity."

Doyle's eyes grew large as he again took another puff off his cigarette.

"Phinny, you put an interesting offer on the table." Doyle said. "And you don't need to tell me anything more about your employer. I know first-hand what he is capable of doing."

"Ya' don't say?" Bogg said somewhat curious.

"Yes, really." Doyle replied. "A friend and partner of mine, God rest his soul, Ol' Louey crossed The Boss several years ago. He went missing shortly after that and weeks later they found him fitted with a new pair of cement shoes at the bottom of the river."

Bogg punched Jeff on the arm. "Ya' r'members Ol' Louey don'tcha?"

"Yea, I 'member him,", Jeff acknowledged as he removed his hat, bowed his head and wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "Twas nuthin' like Ol' Louey…A shame…a real shame…I tell ya'…Ol' Louey'd give ya' da shirt off his back. "

Bogg looked down at his partner, cleared his throat and gave him the 'I think that's quite enough' look."

"Gentlemen, my partner Sam and I will try to arrange a meeting with the person who possesses this big rock. If you will meet us here tomorrow morning, say around 10:30. We will take you to him. How does that sound?"

"Dat soun's jus grand." Bogg replied. "But, let dis be a warnin' t'ya'. Dair best be none of dat dair funny bidniss, or dair couldst be trouble."

"Phinny, I assure you, there will be no funny business at all." Doyle replied. "I'm just a small operator here. I don't want to do anything that will cause any ill will between me and The Boss. So, we will see the two of you tomorrow, ok?"

Bogg stood up and shook Doyle's hand. "We be seein' ya's in the mornin'. C'mon kid, we've gots another job ta take care of."

"We fittin' another set of dem shoes?" Jeff asked.

Bogg winked at Jeff, before lowering his brow and grabbing him by the collar. "Now why'd ya hav' ta go and let da cat outta da bag like dat? Ya knows all too well whut happens when yas open dat big cake hole."

"Oh… no…please sir, not 'nother beatin'…Please…." Jeff whined.

"Not dis time." Bogg said in a condescending tone. "Yas gets da boot for dis one."

Bogg slung Jeff in front of him and kicked him softly in the backside several times.

"Ouch…Oooooh…Ouch… Sorry sir… Please, I won't do it again, honest." Jeff yelled as he put on another performance that would bring down the house.

"Nay, ya' won't do it agin'…I will sees ta dat." Bogg yelled as he again put a boot to Jeff and pushed him out the door. "Now get out dat door, before I have a change ta my mind, and put som' real hurtin' on ya'."

Bogg exited the room and closed the door behind him. The two, anxious to get away from their hosts, flew down the stairs and stormed through the main door. After making tracks to the safest spot farthest away from Doyle's thugs, Bogg stopped for a moment to talk to Jeff.

"Whew, I'm glad that part is over. " Bogg said with a sigh of relief. "I hope my performance was convincing."

"Actually Bogg, you came across like a real gangster." Jeff complimented. "You really nailed that one."

"Kid, let's not forget about your great performance back there." Bogg said as he patted Jeff on the back. "I hope I didn't do any harm to your tuba."

"My tuba's just fine. No problem." Jeff reassured.

"I believe we convinced them that we are bad guys, don't you think?" Bogg asked."

"They definitely know we're bad now." Jeff agreed. "I've got one question though."

"What's that, kiddo?"

"Where did you get that bit about The Boss?" Jeff asked innocently.

"Oh, The Boss!" Bogg replied with a cheesy smile. "That was just a stroke of genius with a whole lot of luck thrown in."

"How so?" Jeff asked.

"Well, years ago, I saw an old movie about this really bad guy they referred to as 'The Boss'. It seemed fitting here, so I thought I'd use it. It's amazing what comes into your head when you are up to your ears in trouble. Little did I know such a person really existed and my little ruse would go over so well."

"You're just lucky you weren't fitted for a pair of those fashionable cement overshoes." Jeff said matter-of-factly.

"You said it." Bogg agreed. "Underneath all this garb, I was so nervous, I was sweating bullets. I'm surprised there wasn't a puddle on the floor. But I guess the important thing is we accomplished what we set out to do and we got out in one piece. "

"Yea, we got out alright. By the skin of our teeth." Jeff said.

"The skin of our teeth? I'll have to remember that one, kid." Bogg teased. "You know, the fun and danger isn't over yet. Tomorrow is when things really get interesting and even more dangerous. Still want to come along?"

"What's PB without J?" Jeff asked. "Sure, there's no way I'd miss this. Playing the partner of a gangster is fun."

"It is kinda fun, isn't it?" Bogg said as he smiled and poked Jeff in the ribs. "Except for the guns. I really don't care for those. I don't even like carrying this one in my pocket. I feel like any minute now it's gonna accidentally go off and blow a hole right through my big toe, not to mention my only pair of good boots. Then what will I do?"

Jeff shook his head and chuckled. "You'll whistle up a tune every time you take a step. That's what."

"Jeffrey!" Bogg exclaimed. "I can't believe you said that."

"It's the truth." Jeff quipped. "I wonder if it's possible to play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on a toe with a hole in it?"

"Get over here!" Bogg commanded. "We're near the river. I think that bath of yours is long overdue. And after that comment, there's no excuse for putting it off any longer."

Jeff began to back away in retreat. "You'll have to catch me first." He yelled and then took off running down the street.

"Smart kids give me such a pain." Bogg mumbled as he sprinted after him.


	7. A Bold Plan

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 6 – A BOLD PLAN**

It was morning. The sun, inching its way above the morning horizon looked like a child playing hide and seek as it peeked out from the distance. It's bright, warm beams pushed their way through a mass of wispy clouds to penetrate the window of the room where Bogg and Jeff now slept. Outside, the slightest bit of a cool breeze tickled the leaves of the nearby trees as it continued on its never-ending journey. In the background, the sweet songs of robins could be heard as they attempted to find that perfect mate. While most of the citizens of London were still tucked away warmly in their beds, inside, the Hope Mansion was abuzz with activity as the servants set about to complete their appointed duties.

Jeff slowly awoke from his long, restful slumber. He stretched his limbs and attempted to pry himself away from the comfortable bed. After some time and a great deal of effort, he eventually sat up and leaned his head against the ornate mahogany headboard. As he glanced over to one side, he couldn't help but notice his partner was already awake, sitting up in bed with a blank look on his face.

"Bogg…" Jeff said as he yawned. "Bogg…"

Bogg, intensely focused on his thoughts at the moment, did not hear his partner nor did he attempt to respond for that matter.

"Bogg…" Jeff repeated.

Bogg remained silent. His expression had not changed. The blank look on his face was much like that of someone who had undergone hypnosis. Jeff, unable to get a response from his partner, decided it was time to have a little fun with him. He raised his hand in front of Bogg's face and began to wave it in a circular fashion.

"You are now getting sleepy…Very…very sleepy…" Jeff chanted. "Your eyes are getting heavy, extremely heavy…

Unknowingly, Jeff now had Bogg's undivided attention. With another opportunity to tease his partner now boldly presented to him, he decided to play along and have a little bit of fun with Jeff. As Jeff attempted to try his hand at hypnosis, Bogg kept the blank expression on his face and slowly closed his eyes.

"Can you hear me Bogg?" Jeff asked softly.

"Yes…I can…hear you…" Bogg replied slowly and in monotone.

"Wow!" Jeff exclaimed. "I've always wanted to try my hand at hypnosis.… Hey, it worked!"

Bogg continued to sit silently in his 'hypnotized' state, continuing to play along with Jeff's little routine.

"Hmm….Let's see now." Jeff thought. "What can I do…"

"Got it!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'll plant a suggestion that anytime I snap my finger, you will pick me up and carry me anywhere I want to go.

Bogg, upon hearing this, struggled to restrain his laughter.

Jeff turned to his partner. "Bogg, can you still hear me?"

Bogg responded again in monotone. "Yes… I can… hear you…

"Ok, Bogg. You will listen to what I'm about to say and commit it to memory." Jeff ordered.

"I will… commit…what I hear…to memory." Bogg repeated.

"Yes, that's right." Jeff acknowledged. "Bogg…are you still with me?"

"Yes." Bogg responded.

"Ok, here's what I want you to do. Anytime I snap my finger, you will pick me up and carry me wherever I want to go." Jeff said as he began to chuckle. "Do you understand?"

"Yes…I…understand." Bogg acknowledged.

"Ok, on the count of three, you will awaken and remember nothing about being hypnotized."

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Jeff snapped his fingers and Bogg slowly opened his eyes and looked over at him.

"Good morning, kid." Bogg said as he yawned and stretched his arms. "Sleep well?"

"Yea, I slept like a rock." Jeff responded. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh I slept really well." Bogg replied. "But, you know, I had this really weird dream though."

"A dream? What kind of a dream, Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Well, it's kinda stupid, and I hate to even tell you about it." Bogg said as he played along with Jeff.

"Tell me about it Bogg." Jeff insisted.

"Well, I was sitting here, thinking about what we were going to do today to retrieve the diamond, when all of a sudden you started to hypnotize me." Bogg said with an innocent look.

"I hypnotized you?" Jeff asked, feigning ignorance. "Wow, Bogg, what a dream."

"You said it kiddo. If that wasn't all, you planted a suggestion that anytime you snapped your fingers, I'd sit up and bark like a dog."

Jeff began to laugh. "Bogg, you know I'd never do that to you."

"I know kid." Bogg said. "You would never take advantage of your partner like that, would you now?"

"No, never." Jeff replied attempting to cover his little deception.

Well, I guess we better get dressed and get downstairs for breakfast."

"Yea, we better get going." Jeff said. "Lord Francis will be waiting for us."

Quickly, Jeff snapped his fingers and his partner sat up on the edge of the bed, staring off into the distance.

"Bogg, please take me to the bathroom." Jeff commanded.

Bogg slowly rose from the bed, walked over to the other side and picked up his partner. He slowly carried him through the door and across the hallway to the bathroom.

Bogg slowly and somewhat mechanically walked through the door of the bathroom. Once inside he spotted a large clawfoot tub in the distance that was full of water. At this point, he started walking toward it. Jeff once again started giving his partner commands.

"Bogg, stop!" Jeff commanded. "Please put me down here."

Bogg did not stop nor did he respond.

Jeff began to snap his fingers continuously. "Bogg, I command you. Put me down now!"

As he snapped his fingers again, Bogg paused for a moment and started to bark like a dog. Jeff snapped his fingers again and Bogg slowly made his way ever closer to the filled tub.

"Bogg, stop! Please put me down!" Jeff commanded. "Put me down now!"

Suddenly, Bogg emerged from his pretend trancelike state. He looked down at Jeff and put on a mischievous smile.

"I'm putting you down now!" Bogg said as he positioned Jeff above the filled tub.

Realizing the large clawfoot tub filled with water was now underneath him, Jeff began to panic as he snapped his fingers and yelled at his partner.

"No Bogg…not here! Don't put me down…." Jeff yelled before Bogg released him.

After a rather large splash that almost completely engulfed Bogg, Jeff emerged from the depths, put his chin on the side of the tub and spat out a mouthful of water.

"Nice bath, huh?" Bogg teased. "That'll teach you. Trying to take advantage of your partner by hypnotizing him."

"Very funny, Bogg!" Jeff replied.

"Not half as funny as the look on your face when you realized your hypnosis had gone terribly wrong." Bogg laughed as he continued to tease Jeff. "'Bogg, stop. Bogg I command you. Put me down now!'" He mocked as he continued to laugh at his partner.

"I'll have to hand it to you. That was a good one." Jeff said as he began to laugh at himself and his foiled prank. "Ok, now I know you weren't actually hypnotized. You were just pretending to be."

"No I wasn't hypnotized at all, but I did play the part quite well. Don't you think?"

"Yea, you had me convinced." Jeff acknowledged.

Bogg extended a hand to his water-logged partner in the tub. "C'mon, let's get you into some dry clothes, clean up this mess and get downstairs before we miss breakfast."

The two Voyagers commenced to clean up the mess they had created. Once finished, they put on some dry clothing and made their way downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. As they walked through the door, Lord Francis greeted them.

"Good morning, Gentlemen."

"Good morning to you sir." Bogg and Jeff replied in unison as they seated themselves at the table.

"I trust you both had a good night's sleep?" Lord Francis asked.

"Yes, we both slept like logs." Bogg replied.

"Other than that, are you two ok?" Lord Francis asked.

Bogg, now perplexed by their host's question, responded. "Yea, we're ok. Why do you ask?"

"Well, one of the servants heard a rather loud splash coming from the upstairs bathroom. He figured someone slipped and fell into the tub."

Jeff looked at his partner and raised his eyebrows. "Yea, you could say that." He whispered.

Bogg grinned and attempted to come up with a good explanation as his cheeks flushed with color. "Clumsy Jeff here tripped over a rug on the floor and fell into the tub. He's fine, no harm done… he's just having a problem getting all that water out of his ears."

"We cleaned up the mess before we came downstairs." Bogg continued. "But you will need to replenish the linen closet though, there are no towels left after we soaked up all the water.

Lord Francis began to laugh incessantly. "Well, I've done a lot of things in my lifetime, but I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of tripping and falling into a bathtub, let alone a filled one.

"Sir, I wouldn't try it if I were you." Jeff warned. "I can assure you, it's not fun, nor is it pretty either."

Upon hearing Jeff's comments, everyone in the room, including the servants, burst into laughter.

A few minutes later, the three regained their composure and as they enjoyed the feast before them, they began to discuss Bogg's latest plan.

"I take it, Mr. Bogg, you two have made contact with the person who stole my jewel?"

"Ahh, yes and no." Bogg replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we did make contact, but not with the person who actually stole the diamond. That meeting is set to take place later today. To make a long story short, we met with Big Al, a barkeep at the Fleur de Lis, who knew another thug named Doyle, who knows another thug named Sam, who actually knows the person who has possession of the diamond."

"How complicated." Lord Francis replied.

Bogg continued. "It's complicated all right! Anyway, Doyle is supposed to contact Sam and he is to arrange a meeting between us later today."

"Do you have a plan, Mr. Bogg?"

"Yes, but, I haven't worked out all the details yet. It goes like this. We will meet with the thug who has the diamond with the intent on buying it back for our boss. I'll ask to examine the diamond and once I have it, I'll substitute it for a fake one and make some excuse to get away."

"It sounds like a good plan, Mr. Bogg. But you forgot one thing."

"What's that sir?"

"The fake jewel you are going to switch with the real one. Do you have it?"

"Uhh….ummm… You've got a point there, sir." Bogg replied

"Please, don't worry, Mr. Bogg." Lord Francis reassured. "I have that part of your plan covered."

"You do?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, son, I do. Years ago, after I inherited the diamond, I had a replica of it cut from plain ordinary blue glass, as a security measure. I had the idea that I would put this fake one in a glass case in my study and the real one in the safe. I thought, if a theft occurred, they would steal the fake one, since it would be in plain sight. Of course, someone found out about my plan and it backfired. The person who stole it, bypassed the case with the fake one and went right for the safe."

"Bogg's eyes grew wide upon hearing about the copy.

"Mr. Bogg, I have one small revision to your plan which might help you pull it off." Lord Francis said. "That is, if you don't mind a small suggestion from me."

"Please, Lord Francis, I'm open to any suggestions." Bogg replied.

"You'll conceal the fake jewel inside the lining of your sleeve. After you ask the thug to examine the real one, you should cup your hand and then lower your arm, so the fake will fall into your hand. Once he hands you the real jewel, you will quickly place the real one inside your sleeve and hold the fake one up to the light to examine it. At that point, the real one will slide down the lining of your sleeve and lodge itself inside your jacket. Do you think you can pull that one off?"

"Wow, what a suggestion." Bogg exclaimed. "Yea, I can pull that one off."

"Now, here comes the easy part." Lord Francis continued. "Once you hold the fake one up to the light and examine it for a few moments, you announce that the jewel is a fake and throw it on the floor where it shatters into a million pieces. You then rant and rave that it was all a set up to sell you a fake jewel and you and your partner here make a hasty exit."

Bogg, left somewhat speechless by Lord Francis's suggestions finally spoke up. "Sir, it sounds like you've done this sort of thing before?"

"No, I have never been involved in the affairs of the criminal element. I've just read about them on many occasions."

"Sir, you may not know it, but you have finalized the details of our plan. " Bogg said. "Thanks to you, we have a very good chance of pulling this one off."

"No thanks are necessary." Lord Francis replied humbly. "It's you two who should be thanked. For all your efforts to try to recover my jewel, my sincerest thanks to you both."

"Please sir, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Bogg quipped. "The diamond is not back with us yet."

At that moment, the clock on the wall struck the 10th hour. Bogg noticed the time and got up from his chair.

"Kid, looks like it's time for us to be leaving."

"Yea, Bogg, we've got quite a day ahead of us." Jeff agreed.

"Gentlemen. Wait here a moment and I'll get the fake diamond and a briefcase for you." Lord Francis urged as he rose from his chair and left the room.

"Kid, while he's out of the room, I think now's a good time to have a little chat with you." Bogg whispered.

"A chat?" Jeff asked curiously. "What about?"

"You know we are about to journey into what could possibly a very dangerous and uncertain situation." Bogg explained. "I have no idea what the outcome of this may be. We may end up getting hurt or even killed for that matter. You're a Voyager and you're almost an adult now, so I believe it's time you make some decisions for yourself. I'm extending to you the option of staying here, where you'll be safe and no harm will come to you. I want to make it perfectly clear, this decision is entirely up to you and I won't be mad or upset at you if you decide not to come along."

Jeff stood quietly beside his partner for a moment, contemplating what he had just heard. After weighing all the options, he came to a decision.

"Ok, Bogg, I've made my decision." Jeff announced.

"What's the verdict, kid?"

"Bogg, we've been together for quite a while now and we've had our share of good times as well as bad."

"Yea, we have seen our share." Bogg acknowledged.

"Well, this is just another one of those times when things could go terribly wrong." Jeff said.

"Yes kid, they could."

"If I didn't come with you and something happened, I would never forgive myself." Jeff said with a serious look. "So as you've said before what's PB without J?"

"Just a lonely ol' Voyager with no place to go?" Bogg responded with a question.

"You said it, so, I'm coming with you, Bogg." Jeff announced. "If things go bad, we'll get though it together. "

Bogg reached over and put his arm around Jeff.

"You make me proud, kid." Bogg said. "Proud and thankful to have you as my own."

"Now, one more thing, before Lord Francis returns." Bogg said. "Get out your omni."

Jeff retrieved his omni from his pants pocket.

"Just in case we have a problem, I want you to have your omni set for Paris, so that if the time comes when we need an escape route, all you have to do is push the button."

"But what about you, Bogg?" Jeff asked with concern.

Bogg retrieved his omni from his belt and set the dials to the same date and place. "I will set my omni as well, and if something happens, we'll both end up in Paris. Ok?"

"Ok, Bogg." Jeff replied. "But if there's trouble, you better push that button."

"Kid, if something happens, I assure you there will be an overload on the Mission Control computer, caused by both of us pushing our buttons at the exact same time."

At that moment, Lord Francis returned to the dining room with the fake jewel and a briefcase in hand.

"Gentlemen, here… These are for you." Lord Francis said as he handed Bogg the jewel and the briefcase.

"Thank you sir." Bogg replied. "Thank you for everything."

"Just be careful, whatever you do." Lord Francis warned. "And don't drop that fake jewel. It's the only one I have."

"We'll be careful. " Bogg reassured as he slipped the jewel into the lining of his sleeve.

"Ready, partner?"

"Yea, I'm ready."

"Well, let us be on our way."

Bogg and Jeff went out into the hallway followed closely by their gracious host. Upon reaching the entrance, Lord Francis opened the door and watched as the two strolled down the walkway and out onto the street.

"Remember gentlemen, be careful and good luck to you both." He exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we will!" Bogg yelled as he and Jeff disappeared into the distance.


	8. A Close Encounter of the Dangerous Kind

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 7 – A CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE DANGEROUS KIND **

Bogg and Jeff promptly arrived at the old tobacco warehouse to begin their operations. Somewhat nervous and full of apprehension with regard to what was about to happen next, they opened the door and went inside. As they climbed the stairs to the second level, Jeff noticed two thugs who were waiting for them.

"Bogg…" Jeff said nervously.

"Yea"

"Have you noticed those two big thugs waiting for us at the top of the stairs?"

"I wondered when you would see them." Bogg whispered. "Just be calm. As long as we have our omnis ready, we'll be ok."

"Yea, right!" Jeff mumbled with some skepticism.

Once the two reached the landing, the two thugs grabbed them by the arm and escorted them into Doyle's office.

"Hey, watch da' ma--teer--e--ul!" Bogg exclaimed. "Deez suits don't grow on trees, ya' knows."

The thug said nothing, but tightened his grip on Bogg in response to his statement.

Jeff's captor forcibly pushed him over to door number one, opened it and shoved him with great force into the room. The other thug, with Bogg in his clutches, followed suit and shut the door behind them.

Doyle looked up from his work and greeted the two. "Welcome, gentlemen. I figured you wouldn't have the guts to return after what my two associates did to you yesterday. I guess I didn't realize just how determined you are to get your hands on this rock."

Bogg put on a sheepish grin. "Either we brings back da rock, or…"

Jeff chimed in. "Becom' food for da' fishys…Ya' gets my drift."

Bogg slapped Jeff on the back of the head. "Did anyone ask yas for ya' two shillin's worth?"

"No sir." Jeff replied. "Ya' not gonna hits me, are ya'?"

"We'll talk 'bout dat later." Bogg said in his gangster voice.

While Bogg and Jeff were playing out their bad guy routine, another figure dressed in a long, dark trench-coat entered the room.

Doyle stood up and introduced the person to the two Voyagers.

"Gentlemen, I'd like for you to meet my associate, Sam."

Bogg walked over and held out his hand to Sam. "Phineas Bogg, nice to meets ya'. Ya' can calls me Phinny."

"Likewise, Phinny." Sam replied curtly.

"Da kid here… Dis is my partner, Jeff." Bogg said as he pulled Jeff out from behind him. "Don't ya be rude, say hello ta da' nice man."

"Hello, nice man!" Jeff said after giving his partner an aggravated look.

"Don't ya' be rude or ya' gets da boot!" Bogg threatened as he lowered his brow and scowled at his partner. "Pay no mind ta da kid heres. He woke up on da wrong side dis mornin'."

"Gentlemen, Sam and I will be taking you to visit the person who now has the jewel. His name's Malone." Doyle explained.

Sam reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two blindfolds.

"Heeeeyyyy now! What's da big idear?" Bogg exclaimed.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but Malone wants his location kept secret." Sam said placed one of the blindfolds on Bogg.

"What 'bouts da kid?", Bogg asked.

"He too will be blindfolded for the journey." Doyle replied as he tied the other blindfold around Jeff's head. "Don't worry, it's just a precaution. The two of you will come to no harm."

Once the blindfolds were secure, Doyle pushed Jeff over to where Bogg now stood. Bogg squeezed his partner's shoulder to let him know everything was ok.

"If you two are ready, we'll be on our way." Doyle said as he took hold of Jeff's arm.

"Yea, I guess. I'm not too fonda deez blinders." Bogg quipped as Sam grabbed him by the arm and led him out the door.

The four walked down the sidewalk to the street and then began their journey to Malone's secret hideout.

-------------

After some time had passed and what seemed like miles of walking, Bogg, curious to know how much further they had to go, spoke up.

"Ya knows, we've been goin' at it a while now. Don'tcha tink yas needs a rest? I know da kid's gotta be spent."

Sam looked over at Doyle and shook his head in affirmation. "I don't see why not." Doyle replied.

The four stopped on the side of the street. While they rested, Bogg used his keen senses to try and work out their exact location. He determined that they had been walking down the same street for their entire journey. Having been a pirate for all those years, he knew all too well when he was around water. Based on the smell alone, he determined they were still near the river.

"Ok, the rest period is over." Sam announced.

Sam and Doyle took hold of the two Voyagers and continued to escort them down the street. After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped and made a right turn after which they came to a flight of stairs.

"Gentlemen, we are about to guide you down a long staircase. Take your time and you won't get hurt." Doyle said.

Sam and Bogg took the lead and slowly began their trek down the stairs until they reached the bottom. Doyle and Jeff followed closely behind. Once all four men were safely on level ground, Sam reached over, pushed back a wrought iron gate and unlocked the door with his key. He pushed open the door and the four made their way inside. After closing and securing the door behind them, Sam motioned to Doyle to remove the Voyager's blindfolds.

"Gentlemen, here we are." Sam announced. "Welcome to the headquarters of Mr. Malone, the person who you have come to discuss business with."

Bogg and Jeff were now standing in the middle of a brightly lit hallway adorned with paintings and relics of all sorts.

"Wow…look d'all dat loot." Jeff said in awe.

"Mr. Malone is a collector of objects d'arte and rare antiquities." Sam explained. "These are just a few of the items in his collection. If you will follow me, we will make our way to his office."

Sam walked down the hallway followed closely by Doyle, Bogg and Jeff until he came to a very large oil painting with a thick frame adorned with gold-leaf.

"Why are we stopping here?" Doyle asked.

"I'll show you." Sam replied as he took hold of the edge of the frame and pulled it toward him.

"It's a door!" Jeff exclaimed. "I like dat."

"Ingenious." Doyle said. "Who would ever think this was a door."

"Please wait here." Sam said before he stepped through the door.

"Ahhhh…Sam!" Malone said as he stood up and went over to greet him. "What brings you here?"

"Sir, I've brought those men I spoke of to see you."

"Sure, please show them inside." Malone asked.

"Gentlemen, if you please. Mr. Malone will see you now."

Bogg, Jeff and Doyle slowly walked through the door into Malone's office.

"Mr. Malone, this is Mr. Phineas Bogg and his partner, Jeff.", Sam announced. "Mr. Bogg, Jeff, this is Mr. Malone. Of course you already know Doyle."

Bogg stepped over and extended a hand to Malone. In doing so, two of Malone's thugs, who were standing behind him, pulled out their weapons and took aim at Bogg.

"Whoa dair!" Bogg exclaimed as he put up his hands and slowly stepped back.

Malone, turned to his thugs and ordered them to back off. He then offered an apology for their behavior as he walked over and shook Bogg's hand.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen." Malone said. "They are here for my protection. Please, do be seated. "

Malone walked around the back of his large wooden desk and sat down in an overstuffed leather chair.

"I understand the two of you are interested in buying one of my latest acquisitions."

"Yea, we come on behalf of da' boss." Bogg explained.

"Your boss?" Malone asked, curiously. "And just who might that be?"

"Da kid and me, ya see, we works for Mr. Giles."

"Never heard of him.", Malone stated. "Is he a big-time operator?"

"He's big." Bogg continued. "Mr. Giles is his proper name. His em...ploy…ees knows him as Da Boss."

Malone's eyes grew wide and a surprised look came over him as he now realized who the two worked for.

"The Boss, hmmm…interesting…"

"I takes it ya knows him?" Bogg asked.

"Why yes…I know him." Malone insisted. "I've never met him though. As I understand it, his operations are big…very, very big. And he's interested in the jewel?"

"Yea." Bogg affirmed. "He's wanted dat jew--el for years. Ya beat him to it. So he sent us ta make a sweet deal with ya's."

"If The Boss has gone to all this trouble to acquire it, it must be indeed a rare find."

"Yea and he's willin' t'pay ya' handsomely for ya trouble." Bogg said.

Malone sat back in his chair and stoked his chin. After a few moments of silence, he began to speak.

"What's he willing to offer?"

Bogg reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin.

"Ya' see dis?" Bogg asked. "Lotsa dese gold dablooms."

"I take it you didn't bring the gold with you." Malone inquired.

"No, we come ta view da merch…an…dise for da Boss." Bogg explained. "If ya knows what I mean."

"I understand. Can't be too careful these days." Malone said. "He sent you here to verify that I indeed have the jewel and it is not fake, correct?"

"Yea." Bogg replied. "Da Boss wants no s'prises."

Malone stood up and walked over to a small panel on the wall and pressed it. The panel opened to reveal a small safe hidden behind it. Malone dialed up the combination and opened the door. He reached inside and retrieved a small pouch and brought it over to his desk and sat down.

"Gentlemen, this is the jewel in question." Malone stated as he retrieved the diamond from the pouch. He held it up to the light and began to admire its beauty.

"This is the most beautiful and rare blue diamond I have ever set eyes upon." Malone said in awe as he gazed into the depths of the deep blue stone.

"I would cast an eye over it." Bogg said.

"Sure. Here." Malone agreed.

Bogg took the diamond from Malone and held it up to the light.

"Ahh…'tis byu…tee…ful." Bogg said as he examined the jewel.

Bogg looked around the room in search for a piece of glass.

"Phinny, is there something you are looking for?" Malone asked.

"Yea, a pane."

"Yes, I see…the glass test." Malone said. "Everyone knows that a real diamond will scratch glass. There's a window on that wall. Please, help yourself."

"Thank ya." Bogg replied as he looked at Jeff and winked to signal his readiness.

Bogg took the diamond, walked over and pulled back the curtains. He cupped one hand in front of him and shook his arm slightly. The fake jewel fell through his sleeve into his hand. As he raised the fake jewel up to the window, he slipped the real diamond through the lining of his sleeve. Once his arm was upright, the real jewel fell inside the lining of his coat.

So far, the plan was going off without a hitch. He had secured the real jewel and now all that was left was to finish the plan. He took the fake diamond and began to rub it against the glass pane. Drawing back the diamond, he examined the glass to see if a scratch was visible. Seeing no visible marks, he shook his head and made another attempt to scratch the glass. Just as he expected, upon examination, there were no marks left on the glass. Before he turned back to face the group, he put a huge scowl on his face.

"What wool's bein' pulled over my eyes here?" Bogg demanded.

"What do you mean, Phinny?" Malone asked.

Bogg held up the fake jewel. "With dis?...Dis rock."

"I don't understand."

"Dis rock is a fake." Bogg exclaimed.

"It's not a fake, I assure you." Malone insisted. "It's the real thing."

"I tell ya, dis rock is a fake." Bogg said. "Da Boss is not gonna be happy 'bout dis. Yas tryin' ta pull a fast one on him."

Malone stood up, ran over and grabbed the jewel from Bogg's hands and held it to the light. "It's not a fake I tell you."

"'Tis a fake!" Bogg argued. "Look at dat pane over there. Not a scratch on it."

Malone walked over and examined the window. Much to his surprise there was not the slightest scratch on it. He raised the diamond to the pane of glass and attempted to scratch it himself. Bogg walked over and stood beside him.

"I don't understand." Malone said, now puzzled.

"'Tis a fake I tell yas." Bogg said as he grabbed the jewel from Malone's hand. "Look, tis a fake, I'll show ya'."

Without warning, Bogg slammed the fake diamond to the floor with tremendous force. The jewel disintegrated into a million pieces.

"Dair, ya sees, 'tis a fake." Bogg replied. "Ya know a fake when ya sees it. And I knows a con when I sees it too."

Bogg walked to the door. "C'mon kid, we're leaving. I've had enough a dis!"

Malone turned and ordered his thugs to apprehend the two Voyagers.

Bogg looked over at Jeff and shouted. "See ya in Paris kid! Now Jeff! Hit the button, now!"

"You better be there!" Jeff exclaimed as he activated his omni and disappeared.

Bogg hesitated a moment before activating his omni to make sure Jeff had gotten clear. Once Jeff had vanished, he pressed the button and vanished as well.


	9. Life's Lessons Learned

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 8 – LIFE'S LESSONS LEARNED**

It was a beautiful summer day in the City of Light. The bright, warm sunshine radiating down from the heavens highlighted the masses of deep green foliage and colorful blooms sprinkled throughout the city. The slightest whisper of a breeze gently caressed the trees as it made its way across the landscape. Along the Champs-Elysees, traffic was unusually heavy, with motorcars and horse-drawn carriages zooming past in every direction. The sidewalks even more congested, with masses of people going to and fro taking advantage of such lovely weather. It was an ideal day for a walk in the park, a coffee with a good friend at a nearby bistro, or a little bit of sunbathing.

In the background, that all too familiar whistling sound could be heard coming from the sky In an instant, Bogg fell through the time portal and landed flat on his back in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. Several women, who were eyewitnesses to the event first-hand, cupped their hands over their face and screamed in horror as they thought the Voyager had fallen to his death. A crowd quickly gathered and stood silently as they stared at what they now thought was a corpse.

Bogg, who had been stunned by the fall, was almost half-unconscious as he lay there silent and still. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow enough to be almost non-existent. While his mind worked feverishly to shake off the effects, two medics arrived on the scene, pushed the crowd aside and kneeled down beside him. After checking for signs of life, they began to administer CPR. Mere moments before the kiss of life was performed, Bogg suddenly opened his eyes, pushed the paramedic away from him and sat up. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to observe those who were standing in his midst.

Surprised by Bogg's apparent 'resurrection'; the crowd gasped as if they had just seen a miracle.

"Mon Dieu! C'est un miracle!" One woman exclaimed as she dropped to her knees, bowed her head and held her Rosary in her hands. (_My God! It's a miracle!_)

"Ooooooh, il a ressuscite d'entre les morts!" Another replied as she began to sway and then passed out at the sight. (_Oooooh, He has been raised from the dead!_) The two paramedics rushed over and quickly attended to her needs.

Bogg summoned the strength within him to pull himself to his feet. Understanding his arrival had created quite a stir in the crowd, he tried his best to reassure those around him. He knew his French was somewhat rusty since he hadn't used it in many years, but that did not deter him from what he had to do. In broken sentences, he attempted to explain he was not an alien from outer space, nor had he been resurrected from the dead. The more he tried, the more confused those around him became.

"Merci. Je vais bien. Je ne suis pas mort! Merci pour votre aide. (_Thank you. I'm ok. I'm not dead! Thank you for your help._)

The crowd, seeing that Bogg was in fact not hurt, began to disperse.

"Ooooh…What a landing…" Bogg exclaimed as he massaged his arm and shoulder.

"Excuse-moi monsieur. Puis-je etre utile?" A bystander asked. (_Excuse me, sir. Can I be of assistance?_)

"Sorry, I didn't quite understand you." Bogg replied.

A man dressed in a blue shirt and shorts reached out his hand and helped Bogg to his feet.

"Sir, I speak fluent English. What I said was could I lend you a hand?" The man said warmly.

"Merci!" Bogg replied with a sigh of relief. "Excuse me, I mean thank you! It's been quite a while since I practiced my French. I'm a little bit rusty. I was beginning to run out of words to use."

The man laughed. "I understand. That's how I feel every now and then. The language of love is not the easiest to use.

"My name's Harold." He said as he extended a hand of friendship.

"Bogg, Phineas Bogg!" Bogg replied as he shook Harold's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Could I possibly hail you a cab or help you find your hotel?" Harold asked.

"Well, right now, I'm looking for my son." Bogg said. "He's about this tall, wearing an ivy cap and a tweed suit. Have you seen him?"

"Why yes, I just passed him a few minutes ago." Harold acknowledged.

"Where was he headed?" Bogg asked anxiously.

Harold pointed down the street in front of him. "He was a few blocks from here and headed in that direction."

"Thank you very much sir for your help. I'm sorry to run, but I've got to catch up with him." Bogg said as he took off down the street.

"Don't mention it..." Harold said as he watched his new found friend sprint off into the distance.

Bogg raced down the sidewalk, weaving in and out of the massive hoards of people who blocked his path. Unable to find an alternate route in time, Bogg collided with a old woman who was returning home from the market. Upon impact, the two bags of groceries she had in both arms flew into the air and were strewn across the walkway.

As she picked herself up off the sidewalk, she began to shout at Bogg. "Vous homme stupide, que vous avez meurtri mes legumes." (_You stupid man, you've bruised my vegetables._)

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Truly sorry, ma'am. " Bogg said as he chased down her oranges and tomatoes as they rolled across the sidewalk. "Here, let me get these for you."

Bogg's cheeks were ablaze with color as he darted around the sidewalk, collecting her items. As he placed them gently back into the bags, the now angry woman continued to shout in French and shook her fist at him.

"Ecoutez, je parle a vous." She shouted. "Je vous coup de poing dans le visage pour ruiner mes provisions". (_Listen, I'm talking to you. I should punch you in the face for ruining my groceries._)

Bogg ignored her for a time while he continued his quest to fill her bags. Without question, this made the woman even more angry and she shouted even louder at the pirate.

"Ecoutez-moi! Ecoutez-moi!" She screamed. "Etes-vous sourds ou quelque chose?" (_Listen to me! Listen to me! Are you deaf or something?_)

Realizing her stern tongue-lashing was being mostly ignored, without further provocation, she began slugging him with her purse.

"Faire tomber une vieille femme!" She yelled. "Vous devriez avoir honte! Je vais vous apprendre a ignorer une vieille femme!" (_Knocking down an old woman! You should be ashamed! I'll teach you to ignore an old woman!_)

Those bystanders who were observing this event, began to applaud and cheer for the old woman. Once his task was completed, Bogg picked up the two bags, shoved them into her arms and again took off running down the sidewalk as he licked his wounds.

Getting a glimpse of his partner in the distance, Bogg shouted to Jeff to get his attention.

"Jeff-rey!...Hey…Jeff-rey!"

Jeff heard Bogg calling for him, stopped and looked behind him.

"Jeff-rey! I'm here!" Bogg yelled.

"Where are you, Bogg?" Jeff replied.

"Stay there, kid. I'm headed straight for you!" Bogg yelled.

Bogg continued to push his way through the crowd until he finally reached his partner.

"Bogg!!!" Jeff exclaimed as he ran to his partner and put his arms around him.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you too." Bogg said warmly.

Jeff, still recovering from the fear of losing his partner, began to ramble on at a rapid pace without even pausing once to take a breath.

"I waited for you, but you didn't show. I searched for you and asked if anyone had seen you. No one had seen you. I was worried! I thought something bad had happened to you. I was about to set my omni and…"

Realizing his partner was on the verge of coming unglued, Bogg suddenly interrupted his long-winded chant.

"Kid, you need to calm down and breathe before do yourself a mischief." Bogg urged. "It's all over, I'm here now and I'm just fine, kiddo."

Jeff stopped for a moment and took a deep cleansing breath, before he started talking again.

"Why did it take you so long to get here?" Jeff asked.

"The reason why it took me so long was I waited until you were out of danger before I activated my omni."

"Oh." Jeff said sullenly. "I'm just glad you are back."

"Same here." Bogg said as he retrieved his omni and opened it.

"Paris, July 27, 1914 and a red light. " Bogg said. "It's obvious what's wrong here."

"Yea, we need to find the Radium Institute and find out what happened to the Curies."

Unbeknownst to Bogg at the moment, Harold had caught up with him. He walked up and stood quietly behind the two.

"I see you found your son." Harold said.

Startled, Bogg turned to notice the man standing behind them.

"Bogg." Jeff whispered. "Who's that?"

"Jeff, this gentleman helped dear old dad up off the sidewalk." Bogg said with a cheesy smile. "Harold, this is my son Jeff."

"Nice to meet you sir." Jeff said as he shook his hand.

"Are you two on holiday?" Harold asked.

"Well, you could say that." Jeff replied.

Bogg leaned over and whispered to his partner. "Maybe he can tell us how to get to the Radium Institute."

"Harold, we're trying to find the Radium Institute. Can you tell us how to get there?"

"The Radium Institute…hmmm…I've never heard of it. " Harold replied.

"Bogg, something's definitely not right here." Jeff whispered.

"Sir, what happened to Marie Curie and her husband Pierre." Jeff asked. "You know, they experimented with radium and other forms of radioactive materials."

"Oh yes, the Curies." Harold replied. "I'm sorry son, but the Curies were killed in a terrible accident eight years ago.

"Harold, what happened to them?" Bogg asked curiously.

"As I recall…" Harold said as lowered his brow and stroked his chin in an attempt to recall the past. "They were crossing the street in a terrible rainstorm when they were run down by a horse drawn carriage."

Jeff tapped Bogg on the arm and again whispered to him. "This is all wrong. That's not what happened. Pierre was the one who got run over and killed. Mrs. Curie wasn't with him at the time. We've got to go back and stop this from happening."

"First, we've got to lose our new found friend here." Bogg whispered. "We can't just whip out the omni and disappear right in front of him."

Jeff nodded in agreement.

"Sir, can you point us in the direction of a good place to spend the night?" Bogg asked.

"Why sure. Just continue on your present course, take a left on the next street and there's a quaint little inn about a block away." Harold replied.

"Thank you sir. You've been a great help." Bogg said.

"C'mon, let's go kid. We've got a little walk ahead of us."

"Maybe we'll run into each other again." Harold said as the two took off walking down the street.

"And then again, maybe not." Bogg whispered to Jeff.

"What about Harold?" Jeff asked.

"He'll be ok." Bogg reassured. "Once we're clear of him, we'll set the omni and be off."

The two Voyagers continued to walk down the street until they could no longer see any sign of their new friend. Discerning the coast was now clear, they ducked behind a nearby bush.

"Ok, kid where to from here?" Bogg asked as he flipped open his omni.

"The accident occurred on April 19, 1906 on the Rue Dauphine, so we need to get there early in the morning." Jeff said.

"Ok, Paris, April 19, 1906 it is." Bogg affirmed. "Hold on, here we go."

Bogg pressed the button on his omni and the two vanished.

Just as quickly as the two Voyagers had vanished, they soon reappeared in Paris, only on this occasion in a different time zone. Not only had the date changed on this short hop, but the weather had as well. There was quite a rainstorm in progress and the two Voyagers landed right in the thick of it.

"What rotten luck!" Jeff ranted. "The omni just had to drop us in the middle of a monsoon. Yuck!"

"C'mon, a little water never hurt anyone." Bogg teased. "You're not sugar, you know. You won't melt!"

"How do you know?" Jeff asked.

Bogg laughed. "You certainly didn't melt after that bath you had this morning."

"No, I didn't melt, but I almost drowned." Jeff said sarcastically.

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Bogg asked.

"Picture it…" Jeff teased. "The headline on the front page of the Voyager Times… 'Voyager Drowns After Being Dropped in Bathtub by Partner'."

"C'mon kid, you're overreacting. It wasn't that bad." Bogg teased.

"Yes, it was…it was really bad!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Well, if you think that's bad, wait 'till you read the headline on the following day." Bogg teased.

"What?" Jeff asked.

"'Drowned Voyager Hypnotized and Took Advantage of Partner Minutes Prior To Being Dropped in Bathtub.'" Bogg said with a smile. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Ok, You win!!" Jeff said as he resigned himself to lose this argument.

Bogg poked Jeff in the ribs. "Kid, look! There's an awning over there. C'mon let's go over and get out of this rain."

The two Voyagers ran over and stood under the awning.

"Bogg, how are we gonna find the Rue Dauphine?" Jeff asked with a hint of intensity in his voice.

Bogg lifted up his finger and pointed to the sky. "I'll tell you how, kid. You see that newsstand over there?"

"Yea, I see it." Jeff replied curtly. "What's that got to do with it? We don't have time to read the news."

"Kid, we're not going there to grab a newspaper." Bogg said. "We're going there to ask the owner for directions."

Jeff shook his head slowly as he had again had an epiphany. "Oh yeeeeaaaaa….right! Good thinking, Bogg."

"I guess I'm not a dumb ol' pirate after all, huh kid?"

"I never said you were, Bogg." Jeff said matter-of-factly.

Bogg stroked his chin and smiled a bit. "Hmmm…I think you've implied it on several occasions." He teased.

"Ok, if you are referring to the phrase 'dumb ol' pirates give me a pain!', maybe I have, but I was only kidding. I really didn't mean it." Jeff said.

"It's okay, Jeff." Bogg reassured. "I guess a dumb ol' pirate can give you a pain just as much as a smart kid can give me one. I'd say we're even now."

Fifteen or so minutes passed. Bogg and Jeff, tired of standing on their feet, had sat down on the concrete underneath the awning and were discussing about all sorts of things to pass the time.

"If this rain doesn't stop soon, we'll need to build an ark." Jeff said.

"Let's hope it stops long before we need to do that." Bogg said as he smiled.

The two Voyagers, who by now had run out of things to talk about as they waited, sat there quietly watching the rain. After a time, Jeff spoke up.

"I hope this ends soon. This is getting really boring."

Bogg looked over at this partner.

"What? You don't like my company, kiddo?" He asked.

Jeff knew at this point his partner had taken his statement the wrong way. He attempted to try and explain.

"It's not that… Bogg." Jeff said.

"Then what is it…exactly?" Bogg teased.

"We've been sitting here, for almost an hour now, doing nothing and watching the rain trickle down." Jeff went on. "I'm just bored. I'm ready for some action."

Bogg chuckled. "Well if this rain is trickling down, I'd hate to see a real downpour."

"Dumb ol' pirates…" Jeff said before being cut off.

"I know…I know!..." Bogg exclaimed. "They give you a big pain."

"Yea, right first time!" Jeff agreed.

"Ok, my extremely bored, walking history book…How 'bout telling your pain here more about this accident." Bogg asked.

Suddenly the life came back into his partner as Jeff raised his head and eagerly began to tell the story.

"According to history, Pierre Curie had taken a trip over to a publisher's office on the Rue Dauphine to proofread some documents he was having printed. When he arrived, the office was closed, so he decided to leave instead of waiting. He was attempting to cross the street in a rainstorm much like this one, when he was hit by an oncoming carriage and killed."

At this point, the rain temporarily subsided.

"Look! The rain's stopped." Bogg announced. "C'mon, let's get to that newsstand before it starts again."

Bogg stood up and extended a hand to his partner. Once the two were on their feet again, they darted across the street to the newsstand.

"Excuse us sir, can you help us?" Bogg asked.

"Why certainly." The owner replied with a thick French accent. "What can I do for you gentlemen?

"Thank goodness he speaks English or we'd be in big trouble." Jeff muttered to himself.

"We are looking for the Rue Dauphine?" Bogg asked.

"The Rue Dauphine is just a few blocks away in that direction." The owner explained.

"Thank you sir." Bogg replied. "Oh, one other thing."

"Sure! What is it?" The owner asked.

"Is there a publisher or publishing house on that street?"

"It's on the left, just a few blocks from the intersection."

"Thank you again. C'mon kid, let's get a move-on."

Bogg and Jeff hurriedly made their way down the street until they came to the intersection of Rue Dauphine.

"Here it is, Bogg! Rue Dauphine." Jeff said excitedly.

"And the guy at the newsstand said the publishing house was just a few blocks away. C'mon, let's get going." Bogg urged.

At this point the torrential rain which had ceased for a time, started up again in all its fury.

Bogg stopped suddenly, pointed to a small building and shouted at his partner through the storm. "Kid, there…look! It's the publishing house."

"C'mon, we need to find some shelter." Bogg urged. "There's a tree over there, we'll take up position underneath it and wait for the Curies, Ok?"

"Sure, Bogg! Anywhere is better than being out in this storm."

Bogg wrapped his overcoat around his partner and the two pushed their way through the wind and rain until they were safely underneath the tree. While the rain kept coming down, the two sat and watched the entrance to the publisher's office. After a time, a man and a woman dressed in their overcoats, slowly walked up to the entrance and knocked on the door. They paused a moment and after receiving no response, knocked again.

"Bogg, look! It's them!" Jeff exclaimed. "It's the Curies!"

"Right! Let's watch and see what they do next." Bogg said as he and his partner continued to watch the events unfold.

The Curies, realizing the office was closed, turned and began to walk toward the street.

"Bogg! They're headed for the street. We've got to do something, quick!" Jeff exclaimed.

Just then, the rain increased in intensity and the winds started to pick up. The Curies had begun to cross the street, but the storm was pushing them back.

"We've got to do something now!" Jeff shouted, before he ran off toward the Curies.

"Jeff! Wait! Come back here! Jeff!" Bogg shouted before racing after him.

"Mrs. Curie! Mrs. Curie! Wait!" Jeff exclaimed.

Mrs. Curie suddenly heard Jeff's yelling through the fierce storm and turned to see what was going on.

"Et alors?" Mrs. Curie asked. (_What?_)

Jeff ran over and grabbed her arm. He motioned for her to come and stand under the tree until the storm subsided.

She looked back at her husband who was now in the middle of the street, struggling against the onslaught of weather.

"Pierre! Mon amour, arretez-vous! Revenez!" She shouted to her husband. (_Pierre! My love, stop! Come back!_)

Pierre did not hear her pleas. As he continued to cross the street, out of nowhere, a horse drawn carriage approached travelling at a high speed. Unable to see the carriage due to the intensity of the storm, he was hit and knocked to the ground.

"Pierre! Oh mon Dieu! Il a ete renverse! Pierre, mon amour!" Mrs. Curie screamed as she broke down in tears. (_Oh my God! He's been run over! Pierre my love!_) Undaunted by the terrible storm she ran quickly to her husband's side.

Jeff remained motionless, stunned by what had happened. Bogg, waterlogged and out of breath, finally caught up with him and coaxed him back underneath the tree. Upset by the fact he could not save Pierre from his fate, Jeff buried his face in Bogg's coat.

"This is awful, Bogg! Why couldn't we have saved them both?"

Bogg kneeled down beside Jeff and held him in his arms. "I know, kid. I wish we could have saved them both. But, you know the rules, we can only fix problems in history, we cannot change history as it is written."

While he held Jeff in his arms, Bogg managed to grab his omni and flip it open. Much to his surprise, there was now a green light.

Bogg stood up, opened his overcoat and wrapped it around Jeff's shoulders. "I think it's time we get back to the Hope Mansion. We have a few loose ends to wrap up there."

Jeff looked at his partner with tears again in his eyes. "Mrs. Curie just saw her husband killed right in front of her. Are we just going to leave her here alone?" He exclaimed with great sorrow.

Bogg rubbed Jeff's shoulders as he attempted to console him. "Shhhh, kid. I know. I know all too well how you feel. But we…I mean… you did the right thing. That's all a Voyager can do in a situation like this."

"I know, Bogg, but it still hurts just the same." Jeff said as he sniffled.

"Kid, take a look over there!" Bogg exclaimed as he pointed to the scene of the accident. "She's not alone. She's being well taken care of you see!"

Jeff wiped his tears on his sleeve and glanced over at the accident. By this time, several carriages had arrived and Mrs. Curie along with her husband was being loaded into them.

"Ok. " Jeff said courageously. "We've finished our assignment. I'm ready to get outta here."

Bogg opened his omni and set the controls for London. Jeff quickly took hold of his partner's arm and they vanished.


	10. The End of An Era

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****A RAY OF HOPE - BOOK 5  
****(Sequel to The True Spirit of Christmas)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****June 2008 (Revised 09/2009)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 9 – THE END OF AN ERA **

It was early morning in London. The sun had begun to inch its way past the horizon, using its powerful force to drive away the mists of the waters. In the distance, Big Ben was counting off the sixth hour as the people of the area began to awaken. Hope Mansion was once again abuzz with activity as the servants went about their duties. Lord Francis had risen early from his well-deserved rest, to get a jumpstart on the very busy day which was ahead of him. After bathing and getting dressed, he made his way downstairs to the dining room where he sat and enjoyed his usual morning paper and coffee.

Out of nowhere, Bogg and Jeff suddenly appeared at the massive front gates of the estate. Cold, wet and tired from their previous excursion, little by little, they tottered up the walkway to the front door.

"Ready, kid?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I'm ready. I've been ready." Jeff agreed. "Ready for some dry clothes, a warm room and breakfast fit for a king."

"Well, if a king's feast is what you want…Wait a minute." Bogg said as he retrieved his omni and opened the lid. "We can just as easily have breakfast with Henry the Eighth."

"Oh no. I really don't think so!" Jeff exclaimed as he reached over and slammed the lid on the omni. "What's with you and this urge to have a reunion with the Bloody King?"

Bogg with what little strength he could muster up laughed uncontrollably at his partner's response to his teasing.

"What?" Jeff asked. "What's so funny?"

"You!" Bogg replied as he gasped for breath.

"Me?"

"Yea. The look on your face…" Bogg said as he tried to regain his composure. "was priceless."

"Very funny, Bogg." Jeff said now aggravated somewhat. "Go ahead, yuck it up!"

"C'mon, let's get inside." Bogg urged as he reached up and rang the bell.

Moments later, the door opened and one of Lord Francis' servants greeted the two.

"Good morning, sir." The servant replied. "What brings you here this… Why it's Mr. Bogg and his son Jeff. Please do come in."

Bogg and Jeff walked inside and stood as the servant closed the door behind them.

Before they could take another step, Giles came up and greeted them.

"Mr. Bogg, Jeff… It's good to see you again." Giles said as he shook Bogg's hand. "Lord Francis has been extremely worried about the two of you."

"We're ok, Giles." Bogg explained. "Just battered, bruised and extremely wet."

"I can see that." Giles exclaimed. "Come; let's get you out of those wet clothes.

The two Voyagers followed Giles as he escorted them upstairs to their room.

"Gentlemen." Giles said. "The clothing you were wearing when you arrived has been cleaned and pressed. If you would, please change out of those wet garments before you catch cold."

"Thank you Giles." Bogg said.

"While you attend to yourselves, I will inform Lord Francis of your arrival. Oh, by the way, breakfast will be served shortly in the dining room. I trust the two of you are quite famished."

"You said it Giles." Jeff replied. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

"Son, that problem will be taken care of shortly." Giles said as he grinned and closed the door behind him.

"Bogg, did you see that?" Jeff exclaimed.

"Yea, I saw it, but I can't believe it." Bogg said. "Giles actually smiled."

While Bogg and Jeff changed into their dry clothing, Giles went downstairs to the dining room.

"Lord Francis." Giles called to his master.

"Yes, what is it, Giles?"

"There will be two additional guests having breakfast with you this morning." Giles explained somewhat vaguely.

Lord Francis put down his paper and looked up at his assistant.

"Two additional guests?" He asked. "I don't recall us having any guests."

"Well, you do now!" Bogg said as he walked through the dining room door.

"Mr. Bogg!" Lord Francis cried out as he pushed back his chair and rose to greet the Voyager.

"I've been ever so worried." Lord Francis exclaimed as he shook Bogg's hand.

Jeff quietly emerged from behind his partner.

"And Jeff!" Lord Francis exclaimed. "It's good to see you too."

"It's good to be back, sir." Jeff said.

"We were wondering what happened to the two of you. It's been days now."

"Sir, we completed our mission." Bogg said as he dug around in his pocket and pulled out the large blue diamond. "And I believe this little jewel belongs to you."

"I hope it's not the fake one." Lord Francis said with a chuckle as he took the stone from him.

"No sir, it's the real thing." Bogg assured. "The fake one is in a million pieces at Malone's hideout."

Lord Francis held up the jewel and gazed at its beauty as its facets reflected the light. "It's quite unbelievable you know."

"What's that sir?" Jeff asked.

"This little beauty has been in my family now for generations. This is a sad day for me. This afternoon will mark the end of an era. That is, when the jewel will leave my hands for the final time." Lord Francis explained with a sullen tone. "But let's not dwell on that event. I want to hear more about this Malone character."

"First, though, let's be seated." Lord Francis urged. "Breakfast will be served shortly, and then I would like to hear the details of what happened."

Bogg, Jeff and Lord Francis quickly sat down, just in the nick of time. Seconds later, two servants dressed in starched white uniforms pushed in a large serving cart filled with steaming food. The aroma was now more than Jeff could handle.

"Wow, Bogg, smell that." Jeff exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever smelled anything that was so powerful. I can't wait to dig into it."

Bogg and Lord Francis laughed. "Sir, I don't believe Jeff is very hungry at the moment. So I guess that will leave all the more for us, don't you think?"

Lord Francis looked over at Bogg and played along with his teasing. "Mr. Bogg, I agree. I don't believe your young friend over there would even want a wafer. But that's ok. Like you said, that will leave bigger portions for the two of us."

"Now wait a minute!" Jeff chimed in. "I never said anything about not being hungry. On the contrary, I'm starved. I could eat everything on that cart."

"Ok, OK, we get the point, kid. You can eat, but, please, do control yourself!" Bogg exclaimed as he and Lord Francis started laughing.

"Funny, Bogg." Jeff replied.

As the servants placed their cups of tea and plates of food on the table, Lord Francis began to quiz the two Voyagers about their mission.

"Gentlemen, tell me more about this mission of yours." Lord Francis insisted.

Bogg put down his fork for a moment and started to tell the story.

"Sir, it's pretty cut and dry, but it goes like this. When we left here, we went to Doyle's hideout at the old tobacco warehouse, where he and an associate of his named Sam met us. Of course, before the meeting began, we had to be roughed up a bit by Doyle's thugs."

Lord Francis sat there, eating his breakfast, intrigued by the story thus far.

"Once we were inside, Doyle introduced us to Sam. Then we were blindfolded and escorted quite a distance away to the hideout of this guy named Malone. He was the guy who stole the diamond from you."

"Interesting…" Lord Francis replied.

"You said it. After entering Malone's hideout, Sam and Doyle removed our blindfolds. We discovered we were in a long, richly decorated hallway, which resembled a museum. There were all sorts of paintings, statues and rare antiques everywhere."

"So this guy, Malone is a collector of fine art?" Lord Francis asked.

"Yes." Bogg acknowledged. "And not only that, but rare jewels as well. Ok, where was I… Oh yes… They escorted us down to the end of the hallway, where we entered large door, actually the door was a rather large framed oil painting."

"That's clever…Hiding a door behind a huge painting. I'll have to remember that the next time I need to build a secret passage." Lord Francis said with a chuckle.

"Anyway, we went inside and met Malone. I explained to him why we were there."

"What did you say to them, Mr. Bogg?"

"Well, our story was… the kid and I worked for this guy named Giles."

"That's original." Lord Francis said as he looked over to his assistant. "Giles, I never knew you were a member of the criminal element."

"Sir, this is the first I've heard of it also." Giles explained.

"Mr. Bogg, please continue." Lord Francis asked.

"As I said, the kid and I supposedly worked for this guy named Giles. I explained that he found out the jewel had been stolen and he had sent us to acquire it for him. At first, they did not know our boss, Giles, but when I told them, he was better known as The Boss, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place."

"You told them you two worked for The Boss?", Lord Francis asked in amazement. "He's the most wanted criminal in the whole of London. No one has ever been able to apprehend him. Besides that, anyone who gets in his way ends up in the Thames with a new pair of cement overshoes."

Lord Francis paused a moment to take a sip of tea.

"Where did you get the idea to tell them you worked for The Boss?"

"I just reached into my hat and pulled out that alias." Bogg said innocently. "Little did I know there was actually a real criminal with that name in this area."

"You were just lucky." Lord Francis said.

"Yea, I said the same thing to him, after we escaped." Jeff said.

"After I told them we worked for The Boss, they were more than happy to listen to my offer."

"How did you get your hands on the diamond?" Lord Francis asked.

Bogg, wanting to take another bite of food, paused for a moment and asked his partner to continue the story.

"Kid, why don't you tell him that part." Bogg asked.

"Sure, ok." Jeff replied.

"Sir, this was absolutely the best performance I have ever seen in my life. Bogg spoke to these thugs in their own language much like a real criminal. He persuaded them to let him examine the diamond and that's when the real excitement began."

"You see…Malone went over and got the diamond from his safe and handed it to Bogg here. Bogg took the jewel, held it up to the light and examined it closely. Now here comes the good part. He took the diamond over to a nearby window, switched it with the fake one and began to test its authenticity by attempting to scratch the pane of glass."

"Wow, Mr. Bogg!" Lord Francis exclaimed. "How did you know that a real diamond will scratch glass?"

"It was just something I learned in school." Bogg replied non-chalantly.

Jeff continued with the story. "Bogg tried several times to scratch the window with the fake diamond and then announced to Malone that it was a fake. Malone insisted it was not a fake and grabbed the diamond out of Bogg's hand and tried to scratch the window himself. After several tries, he could not scratch the window. Bogg then walked over, spouting that this whole thing was a setup and Malone was trying to sell him a fake. Malone continued to insist that it wasn't a fake, so Bogg grabbed the diamond from his hands and slammed it to the floor, where it broke into a million pieces."

"Then what happened?" Lord Francis asked, curiously.

"Uhh…umm." Jeff stuttered as he attempted to come up with a believable story for their escape.

Bogg, seeing his partner was in somewhat of a pickle, chimed in.

"After the diamond broke into a million pieces, Malone ordered his thugs to apprehend us, but we managed to escape, unharmed." Bogg said.

"What took you so long to get back here?" Lord Francis asked.

"Sir, we discovered that Malone and Doyle had thugs everywhere and at every turn. It took us this long to safely get passed all of his henchmen without getting caught. We even had to go so far as to swim part of the way up the Thames. That's why we arrived soaked to the bone this morning."

"Gentlemen, what an interesting adventure." Lord Francis said. "I'm just happy that it's over, my diamond is back and the two of you are unharmed. What can I ever do to repay the two of you for your efforts?"

"Sir, consider the debt paid in full." Bogg said. "You have provided us with food and shelter over the past few days and that is payment enough.

Bogg and Jeff continued to chow down on the feast prepared for them and to enjoy the company of their host. After some time had passed, the two, now stuffed from all they had eaten, rose slowly from the table.

"Lord Francis. As I said earlier, we have definitely appreciated your gracious hospitality over these past few days. We wish we could stay longer, but we must now be on our way." Bogg explained.

"What, leaving so soon?" Lord Francis asked. "Why don't you stay a while and rest, especially after all you've been through."

"Thank you sir, but unfortunately, we have other commitments." Bogg said.

"That's too bad." Lord Francis replied, disappointedly. "Will you be passing this way again?"

"Possibly." Bogg said. "But with our jobs, it's hard to tell."

"Well, if you're ever in the area, please, stop and let us extend our gracious hospitality to the two of you again." Lord Francis said.

"Thank you for the offer, sir. We will." Bogg replied.

"Kid, looks like our job here is finished, so I guess it's time for us to be going." Bogg said as he winked at Jeff.

Lord Francis escorted the two Voyagers as they made their way from the dining room to the front entrance. He opened the door and the two stepped out onto the porch.

"Again, thank you sir for all you've done." Bogg said.

"No, Mr. Bogg, Jeff, thank you both." Lord Francis replied. "If it wasn't for you two, I don't know what I would have done."

"Goodbye sir!" Bogg said.

"Goodbye and a safe journey to you both."

Lord Francis stood at the door and watched as the two Voyagers continued down the walkway and out onto the street. After a few moments, they disappeared into the distance.

Once they were well away from the mansion, Bogg and Jeff stopped in the street.

"Kid, I believe we have some unfinished business in Aspen." Bogg said, attempting to hold back a smile.

"What, skiing?" Jeff said sternly. "Remember, Dr. Rogers said no skiing for a while."

"I wasn't talking about skiing, kiddo." Bogg said as he retrieved his omni and began to set the controls.

"If not skiing, then… Oh no! Not the snow bunnies? I don't think so!" Jeff said as he snatched the omni from his partner's hand and took off running down the street. "I really don't so!"

"Jeff-rey, come back here with my omni, right now!" Bogg shouted and then sprinted off after him.

------- THE END -------


End file.
